Terre

WHAT'S EARTH ABOUT? 90-minute version of the incredible BBC documentary miniseries Planet Earth.

IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: A-) What the film version lacks in the miniseries' thoroughness, it makes up for in a breathless pace that relentlessly transports you all over the world (as any great adventure film should). The footage is, quite simply, some of the most stunning ever captured on film, in any genre.

What's more, Earth works as a riveting drama, following three families (polar bears, humpback whales, and African elephants) as they try to survive predators, climate change, and the search for food, over the course of one year. I found myself invested in the survival of these animals as much or more than any fictional character, due at least in part to clever editing and skillful narration by James Earl Jones. The wonder of nature makes for a terrific blockbuster.

IS IT OKAY FOR YOUR KIDS? Earth is rated G. There are some moments of animals in peril and some scenes of animals being attacked by predators, though thankfully there is no gory or bloody footage.

ANY WORTHWHILE MESSAGES? With perseverance, grit, and teamwork you can survive almost anything.

I was really looking forward too seeing this movie as it has been advertised as a must-see movie for people that love movies about nature. The movie shows different climates and the animals associated with them by starting at the North Pole and going down south as the movie progresses. The footage from this movie is often breathtakingly beautiful and I many times wondered how on Earth they could have taken some of the shots under water or in the sky. However beautiful, a large part of the footage I had already seen in the TV series 'Planet Earth', narrated by David Attenborough. I found Attenborough's narration of Planet Earth to be much better than the narration of Earth. 'Earth' is an easier movie. It skips much of the scientific detail that Attenborough covers in his 'Planet Earth' series. For instance, Earth will tell you that a tropical sea is an ideal nursery for a young humpback whale, because there are few predators. Planet Earth will tell you that a tropical sea is a good nursery, because the water is low in oxygen and doesn't contain enough nutrients to support very large animals, like large sharks, etc. To me, that's an important difference. That, together with Attanborough's far superior voice make Planet Earth a far better documentary than Earth. Still, however, I think Earth is worth watching for the beautiful footage and the fact that it's easier to understand makes it interesting for children too.

Earth is a feature-length cut-down of some of the most jaw-dropping nature footage ever shot... the Planet Earth series. I'm a huge fan of the series, and watch it often with my family, and because of that I wasn't as impressed with the movie version.

I understand Global Warming problems, but the voice-over comes across as preachy and tries to hard to tug at the heartstrings. I'd prefer a more factual approach... not even the mellifluous voice of Patrick Stewart can overcome the script issues.

Planet Earth gets 10 of 10 stars in my book, and Disney makes an admirable attempt to piece together a feature film in an hour and a half. But there is so much ground to cover (har har) with these stories, and so many incredible locations that it feels overly stuffed and unfocused. You can tell they were cramming it all in, instead of the lush exploration of the original episodes.

I think once you see something in one format, to see the same elements mashed up together in a different way can often be less satisfying. But for first-time viewers, I wouldn't miss this documentary film... if for nothing other than the footage. You will undoubtedly see things you've never seen before.

I loved the way EARTH is made. Its photography is unbelievable, editing it must have been an interesting challenge and Patrick Stewart's voice over is PERFECT. In addition its music and sound editing make watching EARTH a profound experience you don't want to miss. You really are on a journey to where you would probably never-ever end up by yourself.

And although, at first, I was quite surprised by the laughter of the audience as we see animals in their daily fight for survival, I could not help laughing myself sometimes. Nature simply seems too impressive to comprehend.

But, rather than the need to laugh, I left the cinema with a profound question:"Howcome 200 years of industrial revolution can destroy natural systems that have been here for thousands and thousands of years?"

With this question in mind, you'll understand how I felt somewhat bitter and powerless after seeing EARTH. I felt the immediate need to change the world, to help all these animals in their struggle, to undo the changes we have gone through the last centuries and to stop the global heating at once (all that not being a NGO activist at all!)...

So I immediately visited the website mentioned at the end of the film to see what I could do to save our -still- fantastic planet (and the polar bear) from its depressing fate... (www.loveearth.com)

I was a little disappointed to find no direct answers to my questions there. Yet it was very interesting to find out more about the film and the struggle its crew went through.

I hope that cutting on my energy-use will do. I don't know how else to shorten the distance polar bears have to swim to reach land before they drown or attack animals they cannot beat in their exhausted state...

An inspiring film it is, but I didn't leave the cinema feeling very happy.

I have to say that sometimes "looks" are all that matters, just like Jeremy Clarkson from BBC has pointed out (not about our earth though, but he is right anyway).

And when it comes to looks, this movie is such an unbelievably stunning beauty you will absolutely love what your eyes are about to see.

And then there's the personality of the movie as well, interesting, with a captivating narrator voice and narrator stories that will touch your soul as you watch those superbly filmed images.

The movie probably won't affect your lifestyle, ruining these beauties, but it will certainly remember you how precious our earth we live on truly is.

This movie deserves it's 10 stars as it is one of the few stylistic earth documentaries i truly enjoyed.