The Show
From the brilliant, brave, and patient makers of Planet Earth (which in turn yielded the DisneyNature feature film Earth) comes Life The Complete Series, ten episodes collecting 130 stories of the constant struggle for survival. As narrator Oprah Winfrey reminds us repeatedly, many of the events we're witnessing have never before been captured and presented on film or television, and viewers can't help but feel a sense of awe. I found myself talking back to the screen, amazed, amused or just on the edge of my seat.
We watch as a predator closes in on its prey, not knowing what will happen next because some escape and others, well, don't. It's all part of "nature's way," as the late Steve Irwin used to say, the cycle of feeding and breeding. Both can be extremely hazardous, and at times one pursuit could be mistaken for the other!
This Blu-ray set represents the American version of the series which aired on The Discovery Channel. An alternate, British version is also out there on Blu-ray Disc, with the original narration by noted expert David Attenborough.
The Picture
Advances in high-definition cameras and technology since Planet Earth have benefitted Life. The detail is abundant in the grasses, the vast landscapes, the fur, feathers, scales and more, with colors that would be unbelievable were they not genuinely natural. What might be mistaken for video noise on a high shot of a shallow lagoon is soon revealed to be the shadows of the ripples of small waves, and the briefly evident dent in the shell of a leathery, newly-laid reptile egg in uneven light/shadow would probably be lost in any lesser medium. Fine mists are crisp and extreme close-ups are rock-solid.
Some of the grand camera moves over canyons and such achieve an almost 3D transcendence, at other times it feels like we are looking through the world's most stunning 1.78:1 window. There is some actual noise in really fine bits, slight video streaking in challenging shots like the heaving of a cheetah's spotted chest or a particularly fast-moving beast, and vaguer backgrounds might break into a noticeable ringing, but these flaws don't detract from the undeniable, breathtaking beauty of this presentation, hence my highest rating.
The Sound
Life employs the somewhat-lossy DTS-HD High-Resolution format, which is forgivable as we slowly get the impression that the footage was recorded without synchronized sound, or at least without much fretting about how any of the "live" audio would match up to the final video. Much of this 5.1 mix was added/enhanced/created in post-production and commendable effort has been put into utilizing the surrounds for a more immersive experience, essential to the you-are-there illusion, be it a general presence of wind or a more specific tweeting of birds in the background, and so on. A touch of bass lends impact to the bigger creatures, but in general the low-end is used sparingly in this well-balanced accompaniment to the exceptional video.
The Extras
An eleven-minute "Life on Location" segment for each episode--attached to the tail of the British airings--is included in the supplemental section of Disc Four. A broader "The Making of Life" program (42-and-a-half minutes) is as fascinating as the show itself, albeit in a different way, sharing but a fraction of the risks and other assorted trials endured by the dedicated crew. Seven deleted scenes of various lengths, with narration, total 18 minutes from across the series. All of this bonus content is in HD. Also here is the option to view the episodes with a no-narration soundtrack, just the music and sound effects, albeit in mere Dolby Digital 2.0.
Final Thoughts
You might grow up thinking you "know much biology," and yet every story here, big and small, is full of surprises. Life is beautiful, educational, and one of the most rewarding exploitations of current high-definition video I've seen.
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