Nature's Most Amazing Events

There will inevitably be comparisons between "Nature's Most Amazing Events" and  Planet Earth . While I can't say that this new series is quite as groundbreaking, it is still pretty great and has some amazing footage.As its title suggests, "Nature's Most Amazing Events" focuses on some of the most amazing events in the animal kingdom. I actually like the fact that each episode stays in one location (as opposed to the way  Planet Earth  jumped around the world). However, I thought it could have gone beyond Africa and North America. I also thought this series had some amazing footage of birds and whales, particularly of birds underwater. Those scenes alone make the series worth buying.One note: I originally watched this series on the Discovery Channel. For some reason, Discovery used another narrator (Hasani Issa), not David Attenborough. As viewers of nature documentaries know, Attenborough's infectious enthusiasm makes his programs truly a joy to watch. As such, this DVD will be much better than the televised version for simply having Attenborough as the narrator.Now, onto the episodes:1) Arctic Summer:This episode focuses on Arctic environments and includes many of the usual suspects, such as Polar Bears. There was a great scene with baby Gillymots learning to fly. The birds essentially jump off a huge cliff and try to land in the ocean. Many miss and bounce along the ground - but survive! This scene evoked the infamous scene in  Planet Earth  with the ducklings jumping out of the tree - but many times higher, with Arctic foxes waiting at the bottom to eat any unlucky baby Gillymots.2) Grizzly Wilderness:This episode follows the Salmon migration in the pacifc northwest - and all of the animals trying to eat them. There's some great shots of the Salmon swimming through the water. In one shot, a Salmon is swimming through a waterfall, jumps out of the water, and - in slow motion - flies toward the camera. There's also a cool scene of a dead Salmon decomposing in fast motion.3) Surviving the Serengeti:Unfortunately, there wasn't much new in this episode. It covers the wildebeest migration in East Africa. The wildebeest migration is certainly one of nature's most amazing events, but the Serengeti is also one of nature's most documented events.4) Army of Predators:This episode covers the army of predators that chase Sardines. I loved the footage of Gannets plunge-diving into the water to eat fish. The birds look like they're swimming underwater. I've seen some other documentaries trying to capture birds underwater (including  Blue Planet: Seas of Life ), but this scene was by far the best. The episode climaxes with a battle royale between Gannets, Dolphins, Fur Seals, Sharks, and Bryde's Whale all chasing the Sardines.5) Kalahari Flood:This episode focuses on southern Africa, with the drying up of the Okavango River in Botswana. The footage of the Termites up close looks great in HD. These scenes were even better quality than the Termite footage in  Life in the Undergrowth . Also lots of elephants wallowing around.6) Pacific Feast:This is another underwater battle royale, with Stellar Sea Lions, Orcas, and Humpback Whales all going in for some Herring. This episode includes some of the best blu-ray footage of whales I've seen, with extensive footage of Humpbacks hunting using "bubble nets." The "whale song" that the Humpbacks use while "bubble netting" is haunting. After watching this, it is absolutely clear that these animals are intelligent - coordinating group action, using tools (bubbles), and taking advantage of the Herrings' weaknesses. There's also a great shot of a Humpback exhaling through its blowhole and catching a rainbow on its breath. The mist from the blowhole changes colors from blue to green to yellow to red. I can't describe what it looked like other than to say it was pretty amazing. This is easily some of the best Humpback footage ever.In short, if you enjoy nature documentaries, don't miss out on "Nature's Most Amazing"! It has wonderful footage of birds underwater and whales. While there are some low points (notably the Serengeti), the best moments far exceed the ocean scenes in  Planet Earth .

I am a pretty picky movie watcher - just ask my family. I watched this with Panasonic Blu-ray player and my Optoma 720p projector with 5.1 surround sound and was blown away. Some of the stuff they show in this program defies imagination as to how they managed to capture it.I don't know what Turtledom is talking about. The Serengeti episode was unforgettable. The intimacy of the segments following the lion pride as its members struggled to survive the dry season was heartrending. No one has ever filmed animals like this before. You are literaly there, just a few feet away, watching these emaciated, diseased lion cubs as they strain to keep up with their pride, and against all odds rejoining their family and frolicking in the bounty of the rainy season. The shots of the grizzlies from the salmon run episode are breathtaking, watching these skinny cubs follow their mother out of the den in the snow packed mountains, then climb up and down steep grades on their way to the swelling streams below, all the while panning out from close up shots to super wide aerial views showing the bears as tiny dots in the vastness of the Alaskan wilderness. STUNNING. Then they get these super close up shots of grizzlies' fishing tactics in deep water, from above and below the surface, that no one has ever captured before. Watching how they did it in the Diaries segment at the end was just as impressive.BBC is the best in this genre because they not only educate, they create a visual work of art that is mesmerizing in its aesthetic beauty. The zoological expertise of the people filming these animals is what sets BBC apart, creating images you have never, ever seen before.GET THIS VIDEO

For a budget price, Nature's Most Amazing Events is a good buy. BBC is definitely a leader in nature cinematography and the quality of material as well as camera man work here is top notch. The episodes are not tied together and do not carry the same overarching narrative as in the other famous BBC documentary Planet Earth. And sometimes, story is centered not on the actual 'Amazing Event' but rather uses is as a background to tell a compelling story of the individual animal. This is both good and bad as the documentary definitely does not carry as much educational material as it could, sacrificing it 'to tell a good story'.My only complaint was that the sound provided was only 2-channel stereo and rather uninspiring at that, failing to evolve you in the scenery, unwrapping in front of your eyes in gorgeous 1080i picture. This and the lack of any menus. There are unskippable 3 or 4 previews every time you start the disk and the main menu looks like it came from the DVD era - very basic and uninspiring. No pop up menus are provided. As I said - this is a budget item.

This is yet another stellar production by the BBC Nature team. Although many of the stories cover subjects that were introduced in previous productions, here they get more intimate and provide more focus on the subject. You may feel as if you seen it all before, but then they show you something new that you know you've never seen. If you like the BBC Nature productions I heartily recommend Nature's Most Amazing Events.The blu-ray is mostly fantastic, it has a few quirks that seems to be transfer related. First, it is 1080i and not 1080p. 1080 interlaced can cause motion problems and since this production has plenty of motion it was an unwise choice on BBC's part. Secondly, two episodes, one on each disc, exhibit vertical block lines that are visible in the inky blacks of the image. It's not constantly throughout though; it occurs infrequently. The episode on the first disc where it occurs is The Great Salmon Run. I can't remember which episode it occurs on the second disc. Regardless of those two deficiencies, I still think that this is a good transfer with plenty of gorgeous cinematography that perfectly captures the spirit of the events.

Owned this a while and only just watched it and wow. It’s nature at its finest with no other then Sir David Attenborough. I watched 1 or 2 nature documentaries, recently and 1 or 2 of them had really really bad Narrators and it really diminished the enjoyment, dramatically. Please please buy this if you love nature. I’m personally on a mission to buy each and everything that Sir David Attenborough has ever released.

How many of us have the opportunity to travel and see such wonders? Probably few. How many of us are aware of the riches that exist on Earth, the ecosystems that are related to each other, the perfection that exists in nature? How many of us understand that WE DEPEND on our surroundings? Probably few. Most of us take for granted and people have come to destroy without understanding the role of these ecosystems, animals and sooner or later will affect us all.Thank you for the remarkable achievement of this documentary. You showed in small part how wonderful are the planet we live on. Cherish what we have been left an inheritance !!!!!!!!!Stunning images, clear and dynamic sound. Congratulations for the courage, patience and hard work. 7 stars for everyone involved. Thank you BBC and Amazon have made available for such a documentary on Blu-Ray.

This is the Godfather of all documentaries (I say the Godfather as everyone does but I prefer Goodfellas). Anyway back on track this series is absolutely amazing. Some of the scenes are breathtaking and you've got to admire the camera work. The will of wildebeest and the skill of the grizzly bears are stand out episodes. The great migration and great salmon run are mind blowing at times, David Attenborough's voice is complimented with just jaw dropping scenes filmed in stunning HD. The bluray edition is recommend if possible, having bluray now I wouldn't buy any documentary on DVD again if I had the choice of bluray. It's a must buy for any nature fan.

Another great work by Attenborough. As usual I don't understand how they can get most of the videos. They must sit out for weeks or years waiting for the few minutes of excitement. I learned a whole lot from this, and I have studied a lot of natural history.

Missed this docu when it was first shown. Very much enjoyed it. Well worth time spent viewing it and it can stand a repeat viewing.