Space

For the most part, this series is a blast, with Sam Neill clearly having fun playing interstellar tour guide. The special effects are amazing, though some of the science is a bit basic. This makes for a rousing first and final ten minutes, with things dragging a bit in the middle.

That said, this is an entertaining introduction to some of the newer and stranger theories in astronomy. Neill is at his avuncular best and the marriage of weird, stunning New Zealand scenery with all the cgi is remarkably effective. Certainly worth a look.

This DVD explains in a very graphic way, and in layman terms, the universe from its inception with the so-called Big Bang through to the future.

Some of the conclusions drawn, and indeed the questions left unanswered, are slightly disturbing - the Sun will explode eventually, and Earth will disappear. It's all detailed 'how and why'. Black holes are a very real threat, and there are lots of them in just our galaxy - their power is put into such perspective by Sam Neill that it's mind-boggling.

But the real beauty of 'Space' is that its presentation conveys a lot more understanding about how insignificant our little planet is in the 'whole scheme of things' - for instance, there are a million stars in the universe for every grain of sand on Earth. Distances become meaningless. Fascinating stuff.

And for those interested in a broad philosophy, the series also hints at a new approach to the meaning of life. Or at least it will give you more to think about.

The computer simulations here are first class, taking you on an adventurous ride through the universe, and the documentary on the 'making of' is very good. Sam Neill is excellent, and is obviously engrossed in his subject.

'Space' will leave you awestruck.

This whole new series is brilliant! There really is no other way to describe this series. Sam Neill really does host this series well and the graphics are really good, for instance when the diagrams showing how stars super nova at the end of their lives you will be really impressed by the amount of detail in the computer animation. I really recommend this show for anyone who is interested in space or who has ever wondered the answer to the question 'where do we really come from?' The whole series will not be a let down to anyone who watches it!

Sam Neill continues to stun audiences again after "Jurassic Park" in this beautifully directed and presented documentary. Like Stanley Kubrick's movie "2001, A Space Odyssey", the vastness of space shows just how truly amazing our universe really is and just how insignificant mankind is on Earth.

The computer graphics are terrific and anyone who criticizes about how boring this documentary is because of the lack of action, obviously need to get out more and experience the world.

After watching this documentary series I have developed a new appreciation for life on Earth and in the universe, and maybe like Sam Neill suggests we might one day be able to travel to new exotic locations in this awesome universe.

My first impression of this, as I watched it, was that the visuals were very well done, and indeed they are. Great graphics make you really see how it looks when the events described occur. If it were just a graphic presentation, I would have given it a 10/10.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. While the presentation, including Sam Neill's narration, was very well done, the content was extremely scarce, and what was there had me raising my eyebrows. There is very little information in this that can't be gotten out of a grade school level book. The series makes very simple, obvious assertions about the universe and stretches them out for a half hour each. What's more is that it is strangely alarmist, giving the feeling that we could all die at any moment from some huge cataclysm. While that's true on some level, it's also extremely unlikely that a comet or asteroid will strike us out of the blue. To watch this series, you would think it was inevitable within our lifetimes.

It also makes the assertion that the only hope for humanity's future lies in colonizing the stars. This may or may not be true. In the several billion years before this even becomes an issue, we may very well discover how to keep the sun burning longer, how to live in the vacuum of space, or any number of other things that would make that much less relevant. There is no pressing need to colonize other worlds right now, though I admit I love the idea of doing it.

In all, outside of the alarmism, I suppose this would be good for someone who is very unfamiliar with astronomy in general. But if you have some knowledge of the subject, you won't get much out of this besides nice graphics.