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Amazon.co.uk Review
Wild Weather is a major BBC documentary exploring the extremes of the world's climate with the engaging presenter Donal MacIntyre. The four one-hour programmes focus on wind, wet, cold and heat, and explore how these produce hurricanes, monsoons, ice storms and tornadoes, as well as regulate the global environment. MacIntyre, best known for his investigative series MacIntyre Undercover (1999), travels the world, from beneath the North Pole to the saturated humidity of the Belise tropical rainforest. Bringing to mind the daredevil John Noakes from 1970s Blue Peter, MacIntyre skydives, is battered by a wild tunnel, frozen in an ice-box, subjected to a reservoir flood and endures a marathon across the Sahara. Survivors' accounts tell the stories of such disasters as Hurricane Andrew, a New York state snow storm and the flood of Britain's eastern coast in 1953. The intelligent use of computer graphics enhances clear explanations of the jet stream, ocean currents and other phenomena, in a series which is part geography lesson (but with a great teacher), part reality TV entertainment show. Occasional flash-cut editing and some inappropriate techno/drum & bass on the soundtrack will irritate viewers who remember life before MTV, but otherwise this is an excellent mainstream documentary series. --Gary S Dalkin
Special Features
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Stereo English
Dolby Digital Stereo
Interview With Donal MacIntyre
Biography Of Donal MacIntyre
Original Score
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Stereo English
Dolby Digital Stereo
Interview With Donal MacIntyre
Biography Of Donal MacIntyre
Original Score
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful
This was my first DVD purchase (initially for the same reason as Catherine - glad I'm not the only one!) based on the broadcast of the series earlier this year, and it certainly doesn't disappoint - well up to the usual high standards of the BBC nature/science team.
Stunning CGIs and Macintyre's very approachable, sometimes self-effacing presentation both entertains and educates. The accounts of people who have survived the worst nature can devise certainly make one think about what we all may be doing (however unconciously) to exacerbate the conditions we all have to live with, and what we may be able to do to counter some of the effects.
The four programmes , when viewed together, show clearly how every aspect of weather is interlinked globally, from the Poles to the Tropics.
Overall, beautiful imagery and the informative script make this DVD well worth a viewing!
(One slight niggle, though - what happened to the out-takes mentioned in the pre-release reviews?! The ones that have been left in the programmes are funny - it would have been nice to see more!)
Stunning CGIs and Macintyre's very approachable, sometimes self-effacing presentation both entertains and educates. The accounts of people who have survived the worst nature can devise certainly make one think about what we all may be doing (however unconciously) to exacerbate the conditions we all have to live with, and what we may be able to do to counter some of the effects.
The four programmes , when viewed together, show clearly how every aspect of weather is interlinked globally, from the Poles to the Tropics.
Overall, beautiful imagery and the informative script make this DVD well worth a viewing!
(One slight niggle, though - what happened to the out-takes mentioned in the pre-release reviews?! The ones that have been left in the programmes are funny - it would have been nice to see more!)
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
For anyone interested in weather and climate, this series will be fascinating. We Brits have always been obsessed with the weather, but now that we have global warming and an increase in wild weather all over the planet, who wouldn't be interested in the sort of environmental drama that can kill you if you're not prepared? I've watched these programmes several times now - on TV and on the DVDs - and I never tire of them. Quite apart from the tidal wave of information presented here, there's a barrage of beautiful scenery, storm and CGI images - and even the music is very good (apart from the odd "boom chuka boom chuka boom boom boom" and "tika tika tar, tika tika tar" that, for no reason that has ever been adequately explained to me, seem to mar almost ever modern documentary, making subtitles very useful indeed from time to time). Donal MacIntyre is excellent in the role of mad adventurer/presenter. He gets his kit off at every opportunity to imperil and expose his poor body to the elements. I was filled with admiration and sympathy in turns. When he stands in a freezer at -18 degrees centigrade for half an hour, wearing only sandals and shorts, subjecting himself to quite severe hypothermia and showing signs of real physical distress, I shiver along with him as the cold seems to pour from the TV screen into my living room. Doctors and scientists explain the physiological changes that happen to the body when it overheats or loses too much heat, and how these changes lead to damage and even death. Meteorologists and climatologists explain where the weather comes from and what causes the climate to change. It's quite comprehensive and conveyed in good, plain English. My one, tiny niggle is that Donal consistently refers to the Arctic as the "Artic" (short for 'articulated lorry' I thought). Ah well. Nobody's perfect.
We don't often see the most dramatic weather here in Britain, but that could change. Already we're getting more floods and more heat. Even that's caused substantial damage and misery. But if you want to see what the weather is really capable of - if you want to see just what kind of destruction the weather has in its armoury, it's all here on these DVDs: howling winds, tornadoes, thunder and lightning, roaring seas, choking dust storms, ice storms, blizzards. Fabulous and alarming but never boring.
We don't often see the most dramatic weather here in Britain, but that could change. Already we're getting more floods and more heat. Even that's caused substantial damage and misery. But if you want to see what the weather is really capable of - if you want to see just what kind of destruction the weather has in its armoury, it's all here on these DVDs: howling winds, tornadoes, thunder and lightning, roaring seas, choking dust storms, ice storms, blizzards. Fabulous and alarming but never boring.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Ok. I admit the whole reason that I initially bought the DVD is because I hold a horrendous schoolgirl crush for the presenter Donal MacIntyre. (and if anyone else does - you're in for a real treat, believe me!) However, the whole series of programmes are actually both facinating and informative. Theres not too much of the scientific jargon that may put many people off this kind of thing. Everything is explained in detail with the aid of some rather slinky special effects. There are real life stories of traumatised people who have survived some of the scariest situations that the extremes of weather can throw at us. These stories make you wonder why the hell MacIntyre then goes and puts himself through deliberate recreations of such happenings for the amusment of the viewer!
Apparantly Lightning actually comes from the ground. As someone whos rather terrified of thunderstorms, this didn't help much.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A storm-chaser's delight
Had I lived in middle America, I would have been a storm-chaser and, on those rare occasions when we have really violent storms in the UK, I am quite often seen outside watching... Read more
Published 5 months ago by RR Waller
Fantastic Purchase
The whole family has enjoyed watching this DVD, and more than once too. There are lots of facts and I am very pleased with my purchase. The price is great for what you get. Read more
Published 13 months ago by magicmum
Upsetting scenes for young children
I am blessed to have a documentary mad (nearly) 5 year old, who is a huge fan of the "Life" series. I thought Weather might be an interesting next step. Read more
Published 18 months ago by EC
Very very good!
I have watche dit yesterday, and i was very pleased with this item... I know a lot about weather, it is a passion of mine! Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2004 by Kelly De Coster
Totally Brilliant
Enthralling wonderfully put together, loved the eagles my beautiful birds, the wolves are what I like best you know, but I couldn't eat a whole one
Published on 30 Mar 2004 by Patricia Enola
Offended by a single word
I completely agree with other reviews that this is an excellent series, especially the picture quality is amazing. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2003
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