A Film of Epic Proportions, Planet Earth: Special Edition – Review

As far as I’m concerned Planet Earth is as “must see” as it gets.  The first time I saw clips from Planet Earth on the Discovery channel when it aired in 2007, I was floored.  Never before had I seen a film capture wildlife so well, so truthfully.  The Planet Earth series goes where no film crew has gone before, and has pulled out all the stops to bring usthis epic glimpse into the earth that surrounds us.

Fuelled by a production budget of over $25 million, Planet Earth is the most expensive factual series ever created by the BBC. Five years in the making, the first-ever nature series to be filmed entirely in high definition required over 2000 days in the field and used 40 cameramen who filmed across 200 locations around the globe. Utilizing state-of-the-art filming techniques and technologies – ranging from revolutionary aerial lens stabilization and flash strobe-systems to ultra high-speed cameras – Planet Earth lovingly captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet’s best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this awe-inspiring series takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth’s most extreme habitats.

Both the 6-disk Blu-ray and DVD box sets have over 3 hours of fresh bonus materials, including a sneak peak of Alastair Fothergill’s next project Frozen Planet.  Here are some of the other bonus features this special edition set has to offer:

NEW BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS FEATURES

• Special Sneak Peek at Executive Producer Alastair Fothergill’s next blockbuster project: Frozen Planet
• Commentary on select episodes
• Greatest Planet Earth Moments – Relive the greatest moments of this revolutionary series and discover how these scenes were captured on film.
• Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth – The BBC Natural History Unit explores a secret cave deep in the mountains of Pakistan where generations of snow leopards return each year to raise their young.
• Secrets of the Maya Underworld – The freshwater pools that dot Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula were believed by the Mayans to be portals to the underworld.  For the first time ever, the BBC Natural History Unit explores this incredible, labyrinthine system of underground rivers.
• Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert – Follow the struggle for survival of two female elephants trying to raise their young in one of the harshest climates on Earth.
• Music only viewing option

ORIGINAL DVD BONUS FEATURES NOW ON BLU-RAY

• 110 minutes of behind the scenes footage – one 10-minute behind the scenes production video diary for each episode
• Planet Earth – The Future – This 3-part series looks at what the future may hold for endangered animals, habitats and – ultimately – us.

Planet Earth: Special Edition was released October 4th, and can currently be found at retailers world wide.  Just in time for the holiday season, you can own it on Blu-ray and DVD.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned DVD collection, at no cost to myself, in order to facilitate a review.  The opinions expressed are honest and are entirely my own.