Life [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

After Planet Earth became a legendary hit on home cinema for certain sequences on full HD, there were high expectations placed on any HD follow up releases. Life doesn't disappoint in this respect. 4 Years in the making, this Latest series is a bewildering showcase of the reclusive types of life we find on the planet and technology used to capture it.

As opposed to being a purely educational lesson on the variety of species and their relations with each other and their environment, it is the weird and wonderful species that get the film time. This is a good thing due to the rarity of some of the obtained footage. The skill that has been required by the team to capture these moments is immense, probably not replicable by all other wildlife documentary makers due to time and budget constraints.

Episodes are 50 minutes long followed by a ten minute insight into their efforts at the end illustrating the techniques used to film a single scene in an episode. Each episode covers a separate animal group, with some episodes covering broader issues such as hunters and prey and general challenges faced by some life. These broader episodes do often have repeated footage, eg some penguin sequences are shared between the `challenges of life' episode and the `birds' episode. As I watched these all in quick succession, I found some parts repetitive, but watching some of the more stunning sequences for a second time was still welcomed.

Particular highlights were seeing the primates at work and using tools, which deeply illustrated our genetic proximity to them. (It made me wonder at times if I could actually find an example of a primate making more intelligent use of its environment and each other than a human). I generally appreciated the sequences that depict a species clever use of environment or body parts that hints towards higher intelligence than we would normally attribute to the other members of the animal kingdom, and there were plenty of these occasions to behold. The marine episode also captured some striking sequences and the butterflies collecting in huge numbers on the insects episode was stunning.

The HD picture quality is more evident in some places than others, though generally id say its excellent overall and still definitely more consistent than Planet Earth was. As the filming takes place in the real world with real lighting and positioning constraints, not all images are going to be as fantastic as the next. The underwater sequences showed a mix, where some of the coral and organisms looked wonderfully sharp and illuminated, but other shots could look murky due to the impurities in the water. I would say every episode captures at some point a jaw-dropping sequence that gives you the full justification for why you bought your Bluray player. In many cases it really had to be appreciated how some things so small such as ants could be captured in sufficient detail to fit a full 1080p image with no focus issues.

This series seemed designed to bring images to shock people, as they would come to realise that such weird organisms exist in reality and not just in CGI movie sequences. Of the seemingly almost infinite variety of species on the planet, only a tiny fraction is represented here, that leaves me wanting another series to continue the showcase. No doubt Attenborough and team will oblige.

There aren't superlative's enough to describe this achievement. But it is not only phenomenal but also intimate, rich in detail, storylines well constructed, and captivating. And for those reasons, to be quite honest, I found it to be even better than "Earth".
To stories told offer an unique insight and often are the first of it's kind - ever.

And then Sir David Attenborough - ahh. What can you say, he is simply the best. He explains what is necessary, he pauses when to take in the scenery, he has a good humour, and most importantly for me, he is "Genuine".

The only thing that disappointed me a little, is that I don't believe the description of the blu-ray to be true. It states to be 1080p, I found it to be 1080i. Nothing to worry about, the picture quality is spectecular. Still one might wonder if it is a typo or a deliberate mistake. An otherwise such brilliant monument in documentary deserves better than that.

It has 10 different episodes of about 50min:
1. "Challenges of Life"
2. "Reptiles and Amphibians"
3. "Mammals"
4. "Fish"
5. "Birds"
6. "Insects"
7. "Hunters and Hunted"
8. "Creatures of the Deep"
9. "Plants"
10. "Primates"
And each episode is tailed by a short "Making of". This is not some information on the side but something which adds tremendous value. (By the way, "Earth" blu-ray hasn't got the "Making of" - only the DVD version.) For example the additional images given in the production of the Komodo Dragons was just breathtaking. The attacking Komodo Dragon scene couldn't be presented in the Episode because it was chasing by a cameraman. The hazzle and emotion of the team gave a better understanding of the whole story.

So here it is:
One of THE BEST DOCUMENTARY there is.

some great footage, but not all in full HD as stated on the box. It's pretty obvious when it is and is not in full HD. Also, nothing extra included to what was on BBC.