Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World

... about a region on the planet that interests me yet I know so little about.

CNN should go around the world and use this format for other regions ... Australia, Appalachia, Cascadia, Tibet,the Aleutian Islands, etc. They could run it from 9 to 11 pm weeknights and drop CNN Tonight.

Yes, it is largely about humans, but this is what makes this documentary wonderful. Our species makes a bigger part of the population of the planet and we affect the environment in the most significant and devastating ways. The role of humans in this type of documentary usually centers on how we fail at being a responsible species. While it is definitely true, it was refreshing seeing people who try to reduce the negative effects other individuals had had on the ecosystem of Patagonia. Many stories were quite inspirational, especially from people who "switched sides", like the guy who went from being a hunter to being a protector. Seeing that there are people who try very hard to help the wild nature of Patagonia stay wild gave me hope. This series was just as educational, only in a different way.

I watched this for what Patagonia is famous for - Fitzroy and Torres del Paine. Mountains, climbing, geology etc. I got none of that. It was mainly about animals and their interaction with people. Not one mountain was even mentioned by name. Also, if you don't PVR it you might have to go on suicide watch.

This is becoming a pattern with CNN films. I wrote a review of the Abraham Lincoln piece that they did last year: volume level for the soundtrack was so loud you could barely hear the narration. On Patagonia one minute the volume is too loud and the next too soft. And it's not Pedro Pascal's voice. Through an hour-long episode, I must be adjusting the volume 20 times. And I'm not counting the ones when they go to commercial - it blasts the speakers! Of course after the ad, I have to turn it up again. CNN: fire your audio engineers responsible for this incompetence! Do they even listen to the final version that's to be broadcast?

The humans featured are integral to telling the story of saving Patagonia wildlife residents and the egosystem. Beautifully filmed with a solid narration/script. It speaks heavily to the need for conservation and the vital role of dedicated researchers.

I didn't detect any audio level variations between the narrator, the music and the ambient sounds. It all held together on my system.

We'll worth watching. My only disappointment is that six episodes aren't enough.