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Deep in the Andean mountains lays a mysterious ruin named Machu Picchu. For 400 years it sat abandoned on its misty cliff, the quintessential lost city in the jungle. Rediscovered in 1911, it contained no written records or carvings, nothing that could shed light on its history. For a century since, it has defied the endless scores of visitors and scientists who attempted to understand its purpose. Who were the mysterious people who built it and why did they build it here? Today an international team of archeologists, engineers and scientists are finally piecing together the clues. Together they are discovering astonishing new burials, revealing the intricacies of its ingenious engineering and finally decoding the secrets of Machu Picchu.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Whilst there were some interesting observations on the engineering involved in the construction of Machu Picchu, such as the terracing, drainage, erosion avoidance and water supply and the possible reasons for the choice of location I was disappointed overall.
There were some nice aerial views of Machu Picchu giving an idea of its location, which probably make the DVD worth buying since it's only 2.99 BUT there are also a lot of sections particularly in the first half of the video which have not been well filmed at all, it is almost like a home video when someone pans too quickly and the video goes out of focus. Also quite a few blurry scenes of fictional re-enactment of the Inca life, perhaps it was supposed to be atmospheric but I just found it a little annoying. Given National Geographic's great reputation for its photography I thought this was very poor.
As I knew little about Machu Picchu I came away with a little more knowledge, but I feel the idea it was "Decoded" is a great over exaggeration. It is a video narrated by one of the slow talking "stereotypical" documentary type voices and they explain how it was discovered in 1911, some possible theories as to why it was built and why in that location. A couple of more current experts show how a few extra things have been found which tend to indicate initial theories are not strongly supported. However except for being impressed by the sheer engineering exercise with the apparent absence of the wheel or steel even in the 15th century, I felt all I learnt were possible theories since nothing was conclusively justified.
Also I don't like getting 10 minutes of adverts for other NatGeo products before I get to the screen which allows me to select viewing the 52 minute show.
Since it's cheap, if you have a passing interest it might still be worth buying but don't expect to be amazed by the quality.
There were some nice aerial views of Machu Picchu giving an idea of its location, which probably make the DVD worth buying since it's only 2.99 BUT there are also a lot of sections particularly in the first half of the video which have not been well filmed at all, it is almost like a home video when someone pans too quickly and the video goes out of focus. Also quite a few blurry scenes of fictional re-enactment of the Inca life, perhaps it was supposed to be atmospheric but I just found it a little annoying. Given National Geographic's great reputation for its photography I thought this was very poor.
As I knew little about Machu Picchu I came away with a little more knowledge, but I feel the idea it was "Decoded" is a great over exaggeration. It is a video narrated by one of the slow talking "stereotypical" documentary type voices and they explain how it was discovered in 1911, some possible theories as to why it was built and why in that location. A couple of more current experts show how a few extra things have been found which tend to indicate initial theories are not strongly supported. However except for being impressed by the sheer engineering exercise with the apparent absence of the wheel or steel even in the 15th century, I felt all I learnt were possible theories since nothing was conclusively justified.
Also I don't like getting 10 minutes of adverts for other NatGeo products before I get to the screen which allows me to select viewing the 52 minute show.
Since it's cheap, if you have a passing interest it might still be worth buying but don't expect to be amazed by the quality.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I brought this prior to my trip. It is OK but relies a lot on an American style of mock-action. I am sure the BBC would do it better.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
The original title indicates that there is some code in the buildings that make up Machu Picchu. This DVD provides more of an explanantion for the phenomenon that is Machu Picchu. Nonetheless, a delightful, interesting and gripping documentary that I will go back to as a resource and when I have more information on the history of Peru.
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