"Madagascar" is the first of three episodes of the little gem that was 2020's 'Earth's Tropical Islands'. Madagascar may not be an unfamiliar location in nature documentaries but that doesn't in any way matter. It is always fascinating to hear about the human and natural worlds and who and what inhabit it and of the wonderfully contrasted island itself. It is to me one of those locations that one doesn't tire hearing of and reading about, because there is always something to learn.
That is proven in this great first episode, which does a great job setting up what to expect from 'Earth's Tropical Islands'. Which was anticipated very highly by me and, while there is a better mix of the familiar and unfamiliar elsewhere it does so well in educating and entertaining. The series, and "Madagascar" as an episode, to me also shows that David Attenborough is not the only person to make great nature documentaries and it would not be fair in my view to say that.
Very little to criticise here, but for my tastes the Ampotaka sequence was a little too brief. Would have liked more of that.
So much to love about "Madagascar" though. As with the whole of 'Earth's Tropical Islands' it looks beautiful and captures the desert, rainforest and mountains very vividly, especially the rainforest, thanks to the quite stunning and sometimes cinematic (like in the lemurs sequence where their behaviour is captured very up close). The colours are very vivid and the scenery is both stunning and appropriately unforgiving, particularly the mountains (no surprise, this habitat always has been unforgiving). The music didn't strike me as melodramatic, too jaunty or intrusive.
While the writing for the narration didn't quite have the same surprise factor of other documentaries, it was still educational and was engagingly and accessibly written. Nothing was heavy-handed, corny or patronising. Personally had no problem with David Harewood's delivery of it, which to me engaged and was sincere.
Although some of the content was familiar to me, such as with the chameleons, there were other parts that were very illuminating. The biggest standout in this regard being the tenrecs and their unique warning to the young, just amazing at how that was captured on film.
Concluding, great start. 9/10
That is proven in this great first episode, which does a great job setting up what to expect from 'Earth's Tropical Islands'. Which was anticipated very highly by me and, while there is a better mix of the familiar and unfamiliar elsewhere it does so well in educating and entertaining. The series, and "Madagascar" as an episode, to me also shows that David Attenborough is not the only person to make great nature documentaries and it would not be fair in my view to say that.
Very little to criticise here, but for my tastes the Ampotaka sequence was a little too brief. Would have liked more of that.
So much to love about "Madagascar" though. As with the whole of 'Earth's Tropical Islands' it looks beautiful and captures the desert, rainforest and mountains very vividly, especially the rainforest, thanks to the quite stunning and sometimes cinematic (like in the lemurs sequence where their behaviour is captured very up close). The colours are very vivid and the scenery is both stunning and appropriately unforgiving, particularly the mountains (no surprise, this habitat always has been unforgiving). The music didn't strike me as melodramatic, too jaunty or intrusive.
While the writing for the narration didn't quite have the same surprise factor of other documentaries, it was still educational and was engagingly and accessibly written. Nothing was heavy-handed, corny or patronising. Personally had no problem with David Harewood's delivery of it, which to me engaged and was sincere.
Although some of the content was familiar to me, such as with the chameleons, there were other parts that were very illuminating. The biggest standout in this regard being the tenrecs and their unique warning to the young, just amazing at how that was captured on film.
Concluding, great start. 9/10
