Absolutely adore the first 'Planet Earth' from 2007, one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. David Attenborough (brother of director/actor Richard) is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.
So hearing that there was a second series nearly a decade later, there was absolutely no doubt as to whether to watch it. 'Planet Earth II' is as good as others have said and there is not much to add, it is along with its predecessor one of the best documentaries personally seen and most of the time it actually feels much more than that. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth II' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.
'Planet Earth II' for starters looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life, the mountains in "Mountains" in particular are spectacular and "Jungles" captures the colour, excitement and formidable danger of the jungle beautifully. The rich colours just leap out. For a composer that composes normally bombastic, rousing and pulse-racing music that is epic even in the quieter moments, Hans Zimmer's music here is a remarkably good fit, it's unmistakably Zimmer in style but throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them.
What of the narrative aspects? Can't fault 'Planet Earth II' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. This balance was even achieved in the "Cities" episode, that may have been the one that transfixed me the least due to being more invested in the animals and their habitats of the previous episodes.
But the episode still managed to intrigue and illuminate, and credit has to go to 'Planet Earth II' for adhering to what made 'Planet Earth' work the first time and then bringing a freshness with a few nice ideas to avoid it being too stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.
The animals themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable (the penguins in "Islands") and the dangerous (the lions in "Grasslands" and "Deserts"), and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. 'Planet Earth II' contains a good deal of suspense (especially in "Deserts") and emotional impact ("Islands"). Even the fights/conflicts against the animals are completely riveting, some epic moments in "Jungles".
It doesn't feel like six episodes either, and none of the episodes feel episodic or repetitive. 'Planet Earth II' instead feels like a collection of six individual stories with real, complex emotions and conflicts and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.
Overall, utterly mesmerising. For documentary lovers or fans of 'Planet Earth', 'Planet Earth II' is not to be missed at all costs and has more than enough to entice one to watch it again and again, finding something new each time and never getting tired of it. 10/10 Bethany Cox
So hearing that there was a second series nearly a decade later, there was absolutely no doubt as to whether to watch it. 'Planet Earth II' is as good as others have said and there is not much to add, it is along with its predecessor one of the best documentaries personally seen and most of the time it actually feels much more than that. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth II' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.
'Planet Earth II' for starters looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life, the mountains in "Mountains" in particular are spectacular and "Jungles" captures the colour, excitement and formidable danger of the jungle beautifully. The rich colours just leap out. For a composer that composes normally bombastic, rousing and pulse-racing music that is epic even in the quieter moments, Hans Zimmer's music here is a remarkably good fit, it's unmistakably Zimmer in style but throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them.
What of the narrative aspects? Can't fault 'Planet Earth II' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. This balance was even achieved in the "Cities" episode, that may have been the one that transfixed me the least due to being more invested in the animals and their habitats of the previous episodes.
But the episode still managed to intrigue and illuminate, and credit has to go to 'Planet Earth II' for adhering to what made 'Planet Earth' work the first time and then bringing a freshness with a few nice ideas to avoid it being too stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.
The animals themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable (the penguins in "Islands") and the dangerous (the lions in "Grasslands" and "Deserts"), and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. 'Planet Earth II' contains a good deal of suspense (especially in "Deserts") and emotional impact ("Islands"). Even the fights/conflicts against the animals are completely riveting, some epic moments in "Jungles".
It doesn't feel like six episodes either, and none of the episodes feel episodic or repetitive. 'Planet Earth II' instead feels like a collection of six individual stories with real, complex emotions and conflicts and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.
Overall, utterly mesmerising. For documentary lovers or fans of 'Planet Earth', 'Planet Earth II' is not to be missed at all costs and has more than enough to entice one to watch it again and again, finding something new each time and never getting tired of it. 10/10 Bethany Cox