Earth (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
The 1st film/documentary in the Disneynature series, 'Earth', directed by Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield, & narrated by James Earl Jones, tells the intriguing story of 3 animal families & their incredible journey across our planet. 'Earth' (ripped-off from 2006's BBC miniseries Planet Earth ... this is the assumption) captures some of the most intimate moments of our planet's most majestic lands & most elusive creatures. It is GORGEOUS, but harsh, & misleading. And it pales in comparison with other nature documentaries such as March of the Penguins, Winged Migration or Grizzly Man.
The film is marketed as telling 3 main storylines: following months at a clip in the lives of polar bears, African elephants & humpback whales. The mama polar bear & her 2 cubs emerge from hibernation while the father's survival is met with melting arctic ice that limits his ability to find food. Later on, the African elephant herd is migrating toward the necessary floodwaters of the Okavango Delta (stalked by lions & threatened by dehydration). And then with 20 min. left in the film, we meet up with 2 humpbacks (mom & her cub); making the trek from Caribbean waters to the main feeding grounds of Antarctica. During the course of the film, we meet a plethora of other animals: ducks, birds of paradise, deer, lynx, lions, caribou, baboons, cranes, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, monkeys (hysterical as the lift their arms above water so as to not get wet), penguins, dolphins, sharks, seals, walruses ... 7 more.
Why market 3 main storylines when the focus is not on them; but on ALL of Earth's creatures, their struggle to find food, and their struggle to stay alive whilst being hunted? 'Earth' comes up short on telling 'one' really good story. And I can't tell you how disturbed I was that most of the running time of this film was devoted to innocent animals dying of starvation, or being stalked, chased (in manipulative, disheartening slow-motion), & pounced on by their predators. This is Disney, so we don't get to see blood & guts. But I really was appalled by just how much of this documentary focused on death. It was my assumption that 'Earth' was going to be an ethereal account of our planet's beauty: the mountains, lakes, glaciers, jungles, deserts. I also expected to here a bit about saving our dying planet. I even expected to see 'some' accounts of animal starvation and/or death. But I did not expect it to dominate the proceedings.
I obviously 'get' that this is the circle of life; joys & tragedies combined. I enjoyed the humpback whale 'story', the state-of-the-art photography, the rousing musical score, & the stunning editing of collective images ... but the harshness of the narrative and the surprisingly less-than-effective narration from Earl Jones really turned me off. I wanted to watch what was going on, but his normally soothing baritone just clogged up my perceptions; the attributing of human emotions to nature's animals bugged me. I enjoyed the incredible beauty on display during 'Earth'. It got me thinking about saving the planet. That said, I left 'Earth' feeling distressed & depressed; not inspired. I don't need to see dying polar bears, dying elephants, dying caribou, or dying seals to encourage me to save this planet. I just think it was a bad decision to show so much of it; because there will be plenty of children & adults (like me) who won't appreciate it.
The film is marketed as telling 3 main storylines: following months at a clip in the lives of polar bears, African elephants & humpback whales. The mama polar bear & her 2 cubs emerge from hibernation while the father's survival is met with melting arctic ice that limits his ability to find food. Later on, the African elephant herd is migrating toward the necessary floodwaters of the Okavango Delta (stalked by lions & threatened by dehydration). And then with 20 min. left in the film, we meet up with 2 humpbacks (mom & her cub); making the trek from Caribbean waters to the main feeding grounds of Antarctica. During the course of the film, we meet a plethora of other animals: ducks, birds of paradise, deer, lynx, lions, caribou, baboons, cranes, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, monkeys (hysterical as the lift their arms above water so as to not get wet), penguins, dolphins, sharks, seals, walruses ... 7 more.
Why market 3 main storylines when the focus is not on them; but on ALL of Earth's creatures, their struggle to find food, and their struggle to stay alive whilst being hunted? 'Earth' comes up short on telling 'one' really good story. And I can't tell you how disturbed I was that most of the running time of this film was devoted to innocent animals dying of starvation, or being stalked, chased (in manipulative, disheartening slow-motion), & pounced on by their predators. This is Disney, so we don't get to see blood & guts. But I really was appalled by just how much of this documentary focused on death. It was my assumption that 'Earth' was going to be an ethereal account of our planet's beauty: the mountains, lakes, glaciers, jungles, deserts. I also expected to here a bit about saving our dying planet. I even expected to see 'some' accounts of animal starvation and/or death. But I did not expect it to dominate the proceedings.
I obviously 'get' that this is the circle of life; joys & tragedies combined. I enjoyed the humpback whale 'story', the state-of-the-art photography, the rousing musical score, & the stunning editing of collective images ... but the harshness of the narrative and the surprisingly less-than-effective narration from Earl Jones really turned me off. I wanted to watch what was going on, but his normally soothing baritone just clogged up my perceptions; the attributing of human emotions to nature's animals bugged me. I enjoyed the incredible beauty on display during 'Earth'. It got me thinking about saving the planet. That said, I left 'Earth' feeling distressed & depressed; not inspired. I don't need to see dying polar bears, dying elephants, dying caribou, or dying seals to encourage me to save this planet. I just think it was a bad decision to show so much of it; because there will be plenty of children & adults (like me) who won't appreciate it.