My views are already well presented in the first review of this title. But what I will say to those of you who argue that it really is a great show for those who are not familiar with astronomy and physics, it's not. And I want to warn off 12 year old kids as well, more than others, they might be watching it thinking this comet with 99.9% chance of NOT crashing into earth is something worth worrying about.
As others also have written, this series rely more on sensationalism than actual science, and I find it hard to believe these educated astronomers would actually have anything to do with this War of the Worlds fiction. As they spit out random theory after theory, I find myself with my palm to my forehead more often than I'm actually intrigued.
If the argument for watching this is that it's supposedly easy and understandable to "beginners of astronomy", then I strongly recommend watching Wonders of the Solar System in stead. It's a BBC production with professor Brian Cox as the presenter. Note that although he actually is a professor in particle physics, he still explains everything in simple terms without sounding like the voice-over for action trailers. Also, the imagery and animations in this series are beautiful, not like The Universe's cheap Hollywood production.
As others also have written, this series rely more on sensationalism than actual science, and I find it hard to believe these educated astronomers would actually have anything to do with this War of the Worlds fiction. As they spit out random theory after theory, I find myself with my palm to my forehead more often than I'm actually intrigued.
If the argument for watching this is that it's supposedly easy and understandable to "beginners of astronomy", then I strongly recommend watching Wonders of the Solar System in stead. It's a BBC production with professor Brian Cox as the presenter. Note that although he actually is a professor in particle physics, he still explains everything in simple terms without sounding like the voice-over for action trailers. Also, the imagery and animations in this series are beautiful, not like The Universe's cheap Hollywood production.