Life (Blu-ray)

Life4 Discs, 10 ProgramsDavid Attenborough is "Biology"! (Summary for Teachers)Teachers speak of teaching biology before and after David Attenborough in the United Kingdom. This is based on the impact of his earlier "Life on Earth" and "Living Planet" series. A younger David sat down among wild gorillas and personally dove in the Alvin into the abyssal ocean depths. Students held their breath as they came to hear biology in Attenborough's voice. The mere presentation of an animal's or plant's life has little story line. Attenborough's personal involvement became the story line. Several generations of students who saw life through his eyes shared his wonder.He has continued to be involved in additional nature series. He still appeared in scenes in "First Life" (bought by the Discovery Channel and not available in the USA). But the release of "Life" and "Planet Earth" has ensured that biology will continue to be mentally pictured through Attenborough's seasoned voice, just as many generations of Americans viewed world news through the intonations of Walter Cronkite.Two audiences will perceive this high quality footage differently. For viewers with significant outdoors experience, these smoothly transitioning segments are jaw-dropping. But for those electronics-addicted and nature-deprived youngsters, many of these scenes will lack "awesomeness" since the animation world has no constraint of being anchored to reality.Attenborough is no longer seen on-screen but his voice holds these ten programs together. The photography is high-definition quality. New technologies, including gyro vibration-damped helicopter cameras, now make available perspectives that were not possible a decade ago. From satellite to microscopic imagery, it is difficult to imagine how biology will ever move to a time "beyond Attenborough."Even if Attenborough is not "in the picture," segments called "On Location" at the end of each of the 10 programs provide a story line of the camera men and women's adventure that should grip even the electronics-addicted students.While some teacher editions in catalogs are "teacher-proofed" for undertrained biology teachers, the following outline is provided for the professional biology teacher who merely needs to excerpt a segment relevant to their biology coursework.John Richard SchrockCHALLENGES OF LIFE 1) Opening footage is probably the most impressive, featuring bottlenose dolphins making circular mud walls with their tails and driving a shoal of fish to the air where the group lines up to harvest them with mouths wide open; 2) in Kenya, three male cheetahs take down an ostrich by hunting as a team; 3) Madagascar chameleon uses tongue to capture many insects from a distance, in slow motion; 4) Antarctic crabeater seals versus orca killer whales; 5) open ocean shoals of fish are decimated by swordfish while flying fish take to the air to evade predators; 6) brown-tufted capuchins in Brazil use rock and anvil to crack mature palm seeds; 7) Venus fly-trap has hairs, two must be touched within 20 seconds to trigger closure; 8) stalk-eyed fly in Malaysia emerges from pupal case and its eyes must grow apart in males, showing their use in combat; 9)in dry season in Zambia, hippopotamuses move to deeper river areas and males fight for dominance; 10) courtship of Oregon grebes concludes with beautiful "dance"; 11) Northwest Pacific octopus lays eggs in den and cares for its eggs until it dies; 12) Costa Rican poison arrow frog moves each of six tadpoles to canopy, each to a separate bromeliad and then repeatedly returns to provide an unfertilized egg as food; 13) fledgling chin strap penguins in Antarctica must make their first swim while a leopard seal takes a few as a meal; 14) orangutan mother and baby. ON LOCATION: features the challenge of filming in the Antarctic using a sailboat and HMS Endurance's helicopters; challenge of filming leopard seal underwater up close; also tracking killer whales and filming a seal that makes a miraculous escape.REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS 1) Introduction to Komodo Island and the Komodo dragons with males in combat during mating season, but more at the end of this program; 2) a brief set of cameos show the diversity of reptiles and amphibians; 3) South American waterfall toad free falls away when pursued by a snake, while a pebble toad hunted by a tarantula tumbles downhill like a rubber ball; 4) on the Pantanal, pools concentrate caiman crocodiles but when the rain returns, fish swim into their waiting mouths [slight error referring to reptiles as cold-blooded rather than ectothermic]; 5)the basilisk lizard perches on branches over streams and when threatened drops to the stream and walks on water; 6) a Brazilian pygmy gecko is so small it has problems with rain drops but uses its hydrophobic surface to become unsinkable; 7) a panther chameleon has grasping toes, turret eyes and ever-changing skin colors; 8) in the Namib dessert, a female chameleon searches for a mate; 9) Canadian red-sided garter snake emerges on snow, while many males emerge seeking to copulate with the female but one late-emerging male mimics the female chemistry and induces warm males to warm it as well; 10) Madagascar collared iguana lays eggs in sand and buries them but a hognosed snake locates and eats them; 11) Sonoran Desert horned lizard female guards her eggs and drives off a smaller snake, then bluffs a coachwhip snake; 12) Pacific sea krait shown mating then migrates to underwater tunnel and internal cave to lay eggs on land, the young hatch in 6 months and return to ocean; 13) male giant bullfrogs emerge with rains and engage in combat, finally one male guards all the tadpoles and excavates a channel to release them to a pond; 14) final conclusion shows Komodo dragons taking on a water buffalo and waiting out the effect of the lizards' toxic saliva. ON LOCATION: "Chasing the dragon" has tense moments when cameramen are close to the feeding dragons.MAMMALS 1) Waddell's seals at the North Pole dives below the ice and must constantly expand its hole in the ice; 2) the elephant shrew of Africa uses pathways to flee from lizard; 3)Madagascar ai ai taps on wood to detect wood-boring grubs; 4) Arctic tundra has 8 million reindeer that must endure biting flies and long migrations; 5) Congo fruit bats fly to a swamp in Zambia to decimate fruit trees; 6) East African herds migrate while lions protect their kill from hyenas; 7) female polar bear detects carcass of a bowhead whale; 8) South American coatis scavenge as a group for safety; 9) Kalahari meerkats life a communal life; 10)in migration, a grandmother elephant assists a granddaughter mired in a mud hole; 11) female humpback and calf migrate, and males battle to select who mates with a female whale. ON LOCATION: "The heat run" shows filming of male competition pursuing a female.FISH 1) How sailfish separate single fish from a shoal; 2)flying fish lay eggs in a floating frond that sinks; 3) Australian "weedy sea dragon" courtship dance results in male with eggs and hatchlings; 4) convict fish designs tunnels from which thousands of offspring erupt and return; 5) a sarcastic fringehead defends its territory off California coast; 6) Japanese mudskippers feed, males jump in displaying fins, and females lay eggs; 7)in Hawaii, the rock-climbing gobi ascends waterfalls, 8) in Africa, a species of fish clean the surface of hippos; 9) ocean wrasses are cleaner fish while jacks brush against sharks for sandpaper; 10) establishing a reef and the growth of sea anemones; 11) schooling can evade sea lions but sharks can decimate the school; 12) in Belize, snappers gather to breed; 13) the whale shark feeds. ON LOCATION: Filming sail fish feeding frenzy and the flying fish.BIRDS 1) Hummingbird male in the Peruvian Andes "flags" females; 2) in the Ethiopian Mountains, condor-like bird drops bones from on high onto rocks to smash them; 3) red-billed tropic birds battle to keep their food from the frigate bird (Mon-o-war) thief; 4) red knots migrate but time their stopover to coordinate with the horseshoe crab emergence; 5) African flamingoes nest on mud mounds; 6) in the Antarctica, chin-strap penguins must move from sea uphill to the colony; 7) South African pelicans fly in V-formation to reduce drag but also raid baby gannets; 8) the grebe's mating dance (repeat of program one; 9) male sage grouse on booming grounds in Wyoming; 10) New Guinea birds of paradise display and bower birds construct bowers to attract mates; 11) lesser flamingoes have a courtship march or promenade. ON LOCATION: difficulties of filming bower birds in West Padua.INSECTS 1) Darwin's beetle searches for a mate, combats with other males, and mates; 2) elaborate plumes of the male Arctiid moth secrete pheromones to attract a mate; 3) cameos of insect variations and innovation of wings; 4) newly emerged damselfly, selecting a mate and copulation; frogs jump to eat adults hovering over water, underwater egg-laying in plant stems, re-emergence of winged adult from water; 5) monarch migration to Mexico [error: birds do not pull out the toxic parts but select the less toxic by taste; and butterflies do not hibernate, a very specific term, but overwinter and become active]; 6) alkali flies of Mono Lake, California walk underwater to eat algae, are major food for Wilson's Phalarope; 7) an ant-eating beetle uses acid-firing for defense, stick insects fire turpenes, ants squirt formic acid, bombardier beetle directs vaporized chemical; 8) bee hive raided by bear cub, view of barbed stinger remaining in the predator; 9)Japanese red bug "cares" for offspring and provisions "nest" brood; 10) Dawson's bee of Australia have murderous competition among males [error: males cannot sting, stinger is a part of female ovipositor]; 11) grass-cutting ants harvest grass blades, carry segments to nest to cultivate fungus garden, antibiotic saliva, air conditioning system via topside vents to pullout carbon dioxide. ON LOCATION: filming monarchs in Mexico with discussion with Lincoln Brower.HUNTERS AND HUNTED 1) Three cheetah brothers are unsuccessful in hunt for zebra but succeed taking down an ostrich in a repeat of program one; 2) the ibex in the Dead Sea cliffs manages to climb steep slopes and outmaneuver a desert fox; 3) the greater bulldog bat drags its claws at water's surface at night in slow-motion fishing; 4) stoat youngsters lay at hunting techniques which prepare them as adults to take down much larger rabbits; 5) bottlenose dolphins circle a shoal of fish, forming a mud wall with the tail-flapping, and corral the fish so they can harvest them as they jump into the air, a learned behavior unique to Florida Bay and as seen in program one; 6) Alaska brown bear await salmon run at the sea shore; 7) an Ethiopian wolf pack hunts to provide for the dominant female; 8) star-nosed mole shows action of its nostrils underground as well as swimming where it blows and withdraws bubbles to sniff underwater; 9) in an Indian forest, both deer and langurs watch to avoid the Bengal tiger; 10) a California ground squirrel chews snake skin and rubs it into its tail to smell like a snake as it later stands its ground with a rattlesnake; 11) on the Falkland Islands, penguins and elephant seals try to evade killer shales (orcas) but one mother orca risks a shallow pool to hunt. ON LOCATION: Photographing the killer whale that enters the shallow tidal pool.CREATURES OF THE DEEP 1) Abyss includes hydrothermal vents with Pompeii worms, swarms of krill and Humboldt squid that herd fish; 2) under the Arctic ice is a rich bottom life with nemertean worms, sea stars and urchins, especially rich around the corpse of a seal; 3) jellyfish Aurelia drift while a fried egg jellyfish feeds on some of them; 4) spider crabs move en masse and molt while a sting ray eats soft crabs; 5) cuttlefish mate while using color changes and one male mimics a female to confuse dominant male; 6) British Columbia coastal octopus finds a crevice to lay eggs and tends them until she dies in a repeat of program one; 7) sunstar hunts, feeds on octopus corpse in time lapse, then her arm is eaten by a king crab; 8) coral reef island diversity followed by plankton including coral larvae colonizing a sunken boat, contrasted with advanced algae growth on a WWII boat, corals shown eating corals in interface war with time lapse photos, and mass spawning; 9)Great Barrier Reef diversity includes Christmas tree worms, varieties of crabs and shrimp and while only one percent of ocean, holds one-fourth of species. ON LOCATION: Follows sinking of a ship to form an artificial reef; then drilling holes through the ice in Antarctica.PLANTS 1) A sequence shows changes through the seasons in a forest woodland; 2)the battle for light includes time lapse photos of tendrils ascending to t he canopy; 3) air plants grow above the crown and solve the water problem and form their own compost; 4) a sundew in a bog attracts emerging mosquitoes; 5) Venus fly-trap produces nectar and then if two hairs are triggered within 20 seconds, it closes, but flowers need pollination too; 6) sunflowers shown in time lapse photos and includes pollination; 7) Cradle Mountain in Tasmania has a honey bush where the bird must break open the flower for insects to pollinate; 8) Monarch butterfly larvae must survive latex produced by milkweed that can glue many caterpillars, so caterpillars cut the veins and shut off the latex supply while adult butterfly carries pollen sacs; 9) a hummingbird repeatedly visits and defends the Heliconia plant; 10) South African lily plants flowers are circular for seed dispersal; 11) in Borneo, helicopter seeds and paper plane gliders disperse seeds; 12) cactus produces flowers at night for bat pollination, when the seeds ripen, doves disperse seeds; 13) the dragon's blood tree has condensation that is funneled down the leaves to the roots, forms an umbrella for moist soil and young saplings; 14) a desert rose grows on bare rocks; 15) in Australia, the red mangrove in salt marshes has pores in roots, filters salt, concentrates salt in leaves and discards leaves; 16) deciduous leaves are shed regularly; 17) pine tees have anti-freeze in their needles; 18) bristlecone pine grows but 6 weeks a year, needles last 60 years and some trees are over 5000 years old; 19) white water lily emerges on pond; 20) spring wildflowers take advantage of sun before canopy forms; 21) over 10,000 species of grasses, includes rice flowers. ON LOCATION: How the "outdoor" seasonal shot is a composite of outdoor and indoor blue screen techniques.PRIMATES 1) Summary of primate features concludes with `primates remember what they learn" which is a qualified generalization; 2) Ethiopian Hamadryad baboons engage in troop warfare; 3) some Japanese macaque "snow monkeys" enjoy a natural sauna while others are excluded; 4) Congo Basin gorillas establish their territories by chest beating; 5) Madagascar tarsiers are 100 percent carnivorous, hunting insects at night; 6)Thailand gibbons swing and sing in trees to establish their territories; 7)Madagascar lemurs scent mark, compete for mates and mate; 8)Sumatran orangutans feed and use leaves for a rain shelter; 9) African Cape Peninsula baboons raid tidal pools to eat shark eggs and mussels among the kelp; 10) white-faced capuchin monkeys in Costa Rican mangroves pound mussels; 11) brown-tufted capuchins in Brazil use hammer stones to crack palm nuts (in introductory program as well); and 12) chimpanzees in west Africa use tools, stick dipping for ants, mashing palm hearts and nutcracking. ON LOCATION features the canopy photography but mainly the difficulty capturing chimpanzees using tools and buttress drumming.

Life is sort of a semi-sequel; you might call it, to Planet Earth. Again, it takes you all over the planet looking at various things, but this time instead of focusing on different climates and geographical regions of the Earth, it displays the living creatures that inhabit it. It is also, a condensed version of the 9 "Life" series by Sir David Attenborough. If you have not seen any of those, this would be a good introduction as it is narrated by David as well.On that note, make sure you pick up this (the BBC) version and not the Discovery Channel title, which was narrated (atrociously) by Oprah Winfrey. In addition to substituting David's narration with Winfrey's, they have also re-written most of the original narration, the music has been redone, and the episode structure has been reformatted to better appeal to "an American audience". They were able to keep Mr. Attenborough's narration and George Fenton's music intact for the Discovery Channel broadcast of "The Blue Planet", (which was very successful) but for some reason, they think that Americans will no longer accept this. Why? I don't know. Let's forget about the stupid decisions of the Discovery Channel though, and move on to the program which is spectacular!The episodes are arranged as follows...Disc 1:Challenges of LifeReptiles and AmphibiansMammalsDisc 2:FishBirdsDisc 3:InsectsHunters and HuntedDisc 4:Creatures of the DeepPlantsPrimatesFrom the first sequence you are immediately hooked, while watching from a fantastic aerial viewpoint, a bunch of dolphins corralling a group of fish in a circle of mud. This behavior has been filmed before, but not quite this well before, and this applies to many moments in this series, you may have seen it before, but you'll be seeing it in a new light or from a different point of view. The whole program has a very fresh feel about it; it does not feel like a watered-down retread of previous programs at all.There are also many, many completely new behavioral segments filmed for the first time in this series. The box says 54, and there were definitely at least that many. Over and over, I was saying, "Why didn't I know that?" and "How have I not heard about this before?" or "What the?!? No way!" I have never seen cheetah's hunt an ostrich before, or a pebble toad escape a giant spider, or knew that a mudskipper keeps its young under the mud and has to keep refueling their oxygen supply by gulping in some air, swimming through his underground chamber and then ex-hailing on the eggs! I could go on, and on.As you would expect from the BBC Natural History unit, the footage is absolutely jaw-dropping and filmed in crystal-clear perfect quality. The close-up footage of chameleons, time-lapse footage of plants, and fantastic aerial views from a lamergheir's eye view are incredible and rich with detail. And I'm only talking about the DVD here; I can only imagine how spectacular the Blu-ray looks!The sound is also full and very clear and there is a perfect balance between narrator and music, David is never drowned out. It's a shame that there will be no soundtrack as there was for "The Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth". The music George Fenton composed was as good as ever and I would have loved to hear it separately from the program.Occasionally, sound effects are used that are obviously not natural that I know some people didn't like in past programs such as "Blue Planet". A good example of this is the Venus Fly-Trap sequence, when a fly's leg hit's a hair-like trigger on the plant and a ticking bomb sound is heard until the plant crunches down. There is even a burp when the plant opens up again, it's subtle but I think they may have gone just a tad bit too far with that one. I think that it can be easily overlooked though, and throughout the series, it's never really very distracting.Again, this program continues the tradition of ending each episode with a 10 minute making-of feature, and I really hope they continue this for a long time to come. In these, "Life on Location" segments you see how they constructed a 2-year woodland plant-growth time-lapse shot (that only lasts about 45 seconds) and the work that went into it is just mind-blowing. You also get to see how they achieved the shots of monarch butterflies flying high above the ground at their wintering migration site. These are only a couple examples of the lengths that went into the making of this program, and they are easily as fascinating, and incredible as the program itself.Overall, this is a wonderful documentary that I think, lives up to "Planet Earth" in every way. It's informative, and has some of the most spectacular wildlife imagery ever filmed. Really, with the BBC and David Attenborough on the box, this whole review wasn't even necessary. If you don't already own it, get it now, highly recommended!

A superb Blu Ray release from the BBC. Colours are natural looking, vibrant but easy on the eye, (in Planet Earth II some of the colours were so bright they were unnaturally bright.) Detail here is sharp the image is crisp and even the underwater photography and the darker sequences are very impressive in terms of clarity.The Blu Ray comes with 1080p resolution, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and audio DTS-HD HR 5.1. The series was able to take advantage of the latest camera stabilization technology while filming from helicopters and planes, the results are some sublime overhead and establishing shoots. My favourite comes from the insect episode where the camera starts off looking downwards at a waterfall before smoothly panning up to reveal a lake, beyond that a forest and beyond that again a large mountain in the distance with not a soul in sight.By 2009 HD digital cameras were in full use by the BBC's natural history unit, having previously been used on Planet Earth (2006) and Life in Cold Blood (2008), no longer 480p but now 1080p.The plant episode is one of my favourites with it's expert use of time lapse photography, it feels like an updated Private Life of Plants. The beautiful winter photography in this episode is also a stand out feature. The episode also has more naration and content than the others too its of couse more difficult to tell a story in just pictures even with the over abudance of timelapse photography the only footage that seems to play in real time seem to be the overhead establishing ones. The sound is also crisp and clean, whether it's a trickle of water, a rustling leaf, insect noise or an animal call. The narration from David Attenborough is also distinct, intelligible and is never muffled by the score.On the critical side some of the most recent releases from the BBC natural history unit feature slightly less factual content, the programme seems more interested in trying to wow you with it's imagery and music than trying to educate the viewer. Earlier series tended to be drier, with more detailed narration. Life just about gets away with it's approach, the content is still very informative, there isn't so much attempt to build up drama or humour as later series would do. During the primates episode the narration did border on stating the obvious too, not trusting the audience to grasp finer points but spelling it all out for them. Attenborough tells us 3 times that the Japanese macaques monkeys in the hot spring exclude other monkeys, it slightly labours the point here. Show don't tell please. These scenes already featured anyway in Life on Earth (1979) so we're not even being shown anything new.The series is pure eye candy in terms of showing off your HD/UHD TV. Even when using minature cameras the image still retains it's high quality. It's a definite uptick in picture quality over Planet Earth and even all these years later it really holds up from that point of view.The smoothness of the shots often seems to have been achieved partly by running the camera across a dolly using a motor.Another stand out episode is the insects with frogs leaping in slow motion to catch insects to the sound of violin strings and soft drums.The soundtrack is orchestral having moved away from the more symphonic sound often used in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the cinematography of the butterflies in Mexico is sublime as is the time lapse photography of changing skies. We also learn a great deal too in this episode about insect camouflage, armour and acid. 85,000 species of fly. It's worth reflecting too on how critically threatened much of this is by global warming and overpopulation. Behind the scenes looking at this episode is also well worth a look. commercial drones for photography weren't really around back in 2009, very different to today. For one shot the camera had to glide along a wire in order to travel with the butterflies. Seventeen takes were done after 3 days of prep for what probably amounted to 5 seconds of footage. These people are trying so hard to get the right result for the viewer, you have to applaud the results. Unofficial sources put the budget of this programme at around £10 million, it's not just the production where the money was spend I'd bet but also the post production, All the footage looks like it's been extensively colour corrected to ensure everything looks smooth and matches up with the previous image.In a few of the sequences in the Mammals episode footage of a lower quality is used at points.Some shots are also digitally manipulated e.g. woodland time lapse photography, the series is honest enough to say so.The naration and its delivery is very dramatic'.....most predatory of the dolphin family.....KILLER WHALES!'Blue Planet and Trials of Life has already shown orcas hunting seal pubs, again again again. Though the BBC go back and do it again instead of finding new animal and behaviour to film.In terms of locations, only one place in Europe was used, none in Middle East, Africa is used a lot, as is North and South America along with Japan. The series does also lack an overall theme unlike the Trials of Life, it's more here's a bird in the jungle, 90 second later, here's one in a forest, here's one in a lake....cut cut cut. Some of the sound effects inserted in are also a bit silly. Apparently plants making a woshing sound like when climbing up a tree.

If you've got a 4K tv you'll know about the dvd thang, they look pale and blurry, and if you really love a film or documentary you HAVE to get a Blu-ray version. I'm so glad I got this as it looks much crisper and more detailed than my dvd version, it is, of course, an essential purchase anyway - stunning wildlife footage narrated by the Greatest Living Englishman (although it should be noted that it pulls no punches when it comes to the flip-side of the series title, so probably not for the squeamish on occasions) but there's an added extra I've not seen on any other BBC Blu-ray (provided by 2 Entertain) in the form of a High Definition Setup menu; this is quite excellent with a narrative guide and a plethora of test screens, it even takes you through surround setup and so forth, I think it'd be almost worth the asking price for this feature alone.Highly recommended.

Having watched Sir David's earliest documentaries, the thing that strikes me most about the 21st century output is the accelerating brevity of the Series and the episodes, neither of which can be altogether plausibly attributed to his increasing frailty! Though the music now commissioned is stunning and utterly perfect and beautiful (the young Elizabeth Parker's well-intentioned but sonically hideous electronic post-Stockhausen caterwaulings make the early stuff very difficult to enjoy) the actual footage culled from years of footage we'll never get to see is cursory, and not helped by 20% of the programme being devoted to The Making Of... with repetitive footage, best put on disc as extras! The latest, AFRICA, is definitely in "Oh, Dear: poor Grandad - what have they done with him" territory.By contrast THE LIVING PLANET strikes me as the best nature documentary series of all time: time being the operative word. Time to linger on the subject. Time to show a real series! We've gone from LIFE ON EARTH's 13 1 hour, totally original episodes to AFRICA's 5 43 minute, parson's egg combining stunning, ground-breaking film with rather blatant recycling of old material.As for LIFE: basically undeniably a must-have item, it does contain the second most gruesome of Sir David's subject matters (2nd only to the nightmarish gray whale episode on BLUE PLANET). Having watched the komodo sequence once, I cannot bring myself to watch it again! Give me an honest tyrannosaur any day.It is reviewed as edited from 1000s of hours of film, which rather proves my main objection to the brevity and the trivial broadcast time allotted!

This outstanding Documentary contains the proof, that we are not the only Intelligent Creatures on Earth. All Life has its own Intelligence ( since the hudge till the tinniest Creature ) and a surprising capacity to develop means of adaptability to confront the dramatic changes of Earth's Monumental Environment.40% of Individuals we see here ( absolutely amazing Creatures ) were completly unknown. Among those we already know we can observe the learning of new skills in order to meet challenges. True lessons of Survival, like Polar Bears in uncommon habitats: not digging the ice in search of Seals but on dry land after swimming several miles in search of any food. Close encounters like we've never seen before, of isolated Males and entire families of Polar Bear mothers and youngsters feeding on a carcass. Adding to this, a community of Dolphins in Florida with a new strategy to catch fish in very low waters, and a group of three male Cheetah brothers in Kenya, hunting a huge prey the same way Lionesses do!Great scenes of devotion: a worry Bull Frog father taking care and saving from death an big pool of babies. Ingenious: Flying Fish constructing a huge nest on an Ocean's lost Palm Tree. Beauty: a Grebe's courtship ceremony, starting with a serious of graceful duets and ending with a breathtaking exhibition of Ballet over waters!Insects, Birds and Plants are also outstanding Docs with unbelievable moments! Monkeys Doc was another surprise! When you think you have already seen everything about them, you're wrong.Imagine a very cold Winter. It's snowing outside. An elegant SPA in a confortable Hotel. There's a rule: you have to own a specific ID and the Hotel porter is asking for it. If you're wealthy and well-born you are welcome, though if you're not, you have to stay outside in the cold. This is the behavior of a particular Monkey Society in Japan, as you see very similar to our Societies! Even the gestures and facial expressions of those Animals sharing that private, idyllic and luxurious habitat are exceptional! They simply look like us!There's no doubt a considerable Intelligence here not to speak about the powerful Instinct.At last, the filmmaking I was expecting for years! Two exceptional scenes and impressive moments of Jurassic: Komodo Dragon ( Varanus Komodoensis ), the biggest and most dangerous Lizard on Earth in a hell of a fight and a hell of a hunt in its Natural Habitat. I've already seen other Docs about this ugly Beast but nothing comparable. This scary Animal owns three lethal weapons: the bite, the claws and that powerful tale. Although it looks like heavy and slow, it runs faster than you! When you observe it you have no doubt, you are looking at the last living Dinosaur on Earth!This filmmaking was carefully done and I already knew by books how it should be. Even so I was taken by surprise in the chasing scene and have to tell you it's not a good thing to look at! Even both Photographer who had to do the job, and watch for a week long the details we fortunately don't see, didn't hide their distress! I think we are already prepared for that quick feline's bite, but not for this! An exasperating moment, though one of the best captures in the Wild!What more about this Project? It is a perfect extension of Attenborough's other great Docs as Life of Mammals, Life of Birds, Life of Plants and In Cold Blood, with the most fantastic new Creatures pictured in tinniest detail.Not just one more Series about Nature and Wild Life but one more fantastic BBC Natural History Unit research, from the makers of Planet Earth, with the cooperation of Air Force Navy and McMurdo Polar Research Station in Antarctica, and the always charismatic presence of Sir David Attenborough who continues to be the Top One, in the difficult Art of Narration and Presentation.The most perfect Camera and Soundtrack.Long live High Technology and Human Brain! Breathtaking making of a 60 second specific shot ( Plants Doc ), Practically all done in Studio! Astonishing!Definitely Not to Miss...

The quality of this blu ray is absolutely outstanding!The quality of the series itself is beyond question - the vast array of animals covered, and with it their obscure behaviours that we couldn't have imagined, makes this series so good. There is a vast amount of detail in every episode, all presented in David Attenborough's inimitable style.The quality of the blu ray presentation itself is a benchmark by which others should be judged; whether it is the vibrant, rich colours of the rainforest's chameleons, the detail on the eyeballs of a preying mantis, or a shot of the Antarctic in all of its glory - every scene looks remarkable.The sound is also outstanding, particularly on surround sound. When there is an underwater shot of fish or whales, every bubble and splash can be heard. When a lizard bites into an insect there is a distinctive, sickening crunch. And when a tarantula is moving in on it's prey, the bristling of the hairs on its legs can be heard clearly. All the while, bird songs and various other wildlife noises can be heard clearly on the other speakers.All in all, this is the best nature documentary I have ever watched, and the best blu ray I have ever experienced. Buy this now and you won't be disappointed!