Human Planet [Blu-ray] by BBC Worldwide

Actors

• John Hurt

Format

• AC-3
• Dolby
• DTS Surround Sound
• NTSC
• Subtitled

Editorial Review

The BBC's follow-up to their landmark Planet Earth is another astounding document of natural selection, focusing on the constantly shifting–and often remarkably harsh–relationship between human beings and their surroundings. Narrated by John Hurt, this eight-episode series explores the amazing lengths people must go to in order to survive in various unwelcoming habitats around the world, such as deserts, mountains, grasslands, and oceanic environments, all of which feature unique moments of terror and beauty. (The final episode, focusing on modern city life, suffers a bit by familiarity, although it does allow non-New York viewers a chance to glimpse rats the size of toaster ovens.) An overflowing chest of wonders, really, with such eye-popping sights as a diver who appears to have appropriated fish DNA, the most efficient way to catch giant bats, and a terrifying hunt for mussels within a rapidly submerging Artic crevasse. Other highlights include a father teaching his son how best to harvest water snakes, the symbiotic search for honey between African bird and human, and the leaders of a starving dog-sled team desperately ice-fishing for giant sharks. Memorable as the byplay between people and various critters is, however, some of the most arresting scenes focus solely on human relationships, such as an ultra-competitive tribal courtship ritual, a family carrying on the tradition of creating a living bridge, and a walk to school that involves scaling a glacier. Amid the wealth of rewind-worthy moments, perhaps most impressive of all are the brief behind-the-scenes featurettes at the end of each episode, which show the amount of persistence, vision, good humor, and sheer luck it took to bring these slices of life successfully to the screen. Take a bow, folks. –Andrew Wright