alonovo.com (beta 2.0)

Just O.K. Too bad. 2010-06-01

Reviewer: Red Badge

Pro: Beautiful cinematography provides access to large areas of the Galapagos otherwise not available to tourists. Recommended for that reason alone. Very high-quality blu-ray video.

Con: 1) The script for each segment is written as if the viewer hasn't seen previous episodes so there is quite a lot of repetition. I hope to never hear reference to an "island conveyor belt" again. 2) Tilda Swinton's narration offers either one of two modes: flat, or kindergarten teacher. I found it tiresome. With good narrators available, why do we keep being subjected to the Sigourney Weavers and Oprah Winfreys? 3) As the series progresses it becomes one long sales pitch for evolution theory. While the natural evidence found in the Galapagos does present a logical argument for adaptation theory, I found the Darwinist "and the world was changed forever" drumbeat tedious.

Conclusion: Must-see footage of a fascinating archipelago. Too bad it doesn't come with a music-only track.

1st and 3rd episodes are better 2010-04-02

Reviewer: Learner

I really enjoyed watching it, the 1st and 3rd episodes dive into the Galapagos in a way I've never imagined. The 2nd episode highlights Darwin, but to me it didn't really enhance the DVD...But it was a great watch

Brilliant production 2010-03-26

Reviewer: Christopher Vardas

Like the Planet Earth series, this production is equal in visual and content production values. The photography/cinematography is truly stunning, the dialogue informative and value as a learning piece is without peer. I cannot recommend this disc enough.

Wonderful, but not perfect 2010-03-10

Reviewer: W. Paul W.

This continues the tradition of excellence with BBC nature documentaries; interesting information, very high production standards and stunning visuals accompanied by first class narration.

There are three shows in this mini series and each of them are worth watching. They manage to show us more than tortoises and marine iguanas--they also highlight the avian fauna of the island fairly well, including documenting a neat bit of hunting by the short eared owls. Very informative, covering the drift and history of the Galapagos as well as the flora and fauna. I do wish they'd gone into more detail about the effects of the introduced plants and animals, and I wish they'd shot another episode worth of content. It'd have been neat to get a more in depth view of the difference between the older and younger islands--what animals are only found on the younger vs older islands, differences in temps, etc. It covers some of the differences--it shows much more varied topography on the older islands, and implies they have a greater diversity of life, but more detail would have been nice.
Still, a great introduction into the Galapagos and very enjoyable to watch.

Won't play on all DVD players 2010-02-02

Reviewer: B. Sessions

Although I have no doubts that the content is excellent, I was unable to play it on my DVD player. It requires an HD DVD player. It will not play on a traditional DVD player unless you can update your firmware. I don't believe it will play on a Blue Ray disk player either. I tried it on video game systems as well as my new laptop, but was unable to get it to work. I plan to reorder this item in regular DVD format.