Absolutely adore 'Planet Earth', one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. Have remarked a few times that it and its recent follow up (every bit as good) did for nature and out planet as 'Walking with Dinosaurs' did with the dinosaurs. David Attenborough is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.
"From Pole to Pole" is an incredible start and couldn't have been a more ideal way of setting up what was to follow. A lot of series/shows have a finding-its-feet feel at their starts, not so 'Planet Earth' with "From Pole to Pole" where stylistically and tonally everything is found from the outset. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.
Where to start with the praises for "From Pole to Pole"? for starters looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life and the rich colours positively leap out. The music is epic but has just as many quieter moments that speak just as much. The main theme is unforgettable.
Regarding the narrative aspects, "From Pole to Pole" can't be faulted there either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. Everything is intriguing and illuminating, with as much for children to be inspired by as well as adults, and there is just enough freshness to avoid it from becoming stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.
The animals themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable, like the penguins and the seals, and the dangerous, especially the White Shark. One actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. What also stands out is "From Pole to Pole's" sense of awe and emotional impact, the birds, penguins and elephant scenes have been justifiably praised and are gorgeously shot but the standout is the White Shark and seal part, one of the most suspenseful and emotionally devastating scenes personally seen for anything on television (am being serious about this).
Nothing episodic or repetitive here in "From Pole to Pole" either. Despite covering a lot of animals and habitats, there is a real sense of the episode having its own individual story with real, complex emotions and conflicts and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.
Overall, incredible start to one of the best programmes the BBC has ever produced. 10/10 Bethany Cox
