From Deserts to Grasslands

'Our Planet', not one David Attenborough's very finest or most ground-breaking, started off remarkably with "One Planet", containing the most visually stunning opening of the series. Three other episodes followed on on the same level, just as superbly made and with unforgettable sequences like the preening bird mating dance and especially the scene with the walruses, the show's most controversial scene and one can see why.

Despite being one of the lower rated episodes of 'Our Planet' here, "From Deserts to Grasslands" is actually one of my favourites of the series and contains a few of the series' most memorable sequences, ones that are difficult to forget in the long run. Attenborough documentaries do tend to be quality-wise consistent when ranking individual episodes of each documentary, and 'Our Planet' is not exempt from that.

"From Deserts to Grasslands" is typically impeccably made visually. The scenery is simply breath-taking, and is enhanced by cinematic-worthy photography with a wider range of techniques rarely seen before, a feast for the eyes and also expansive and intimate. Seeing the Arabian leopard and the elephants up close were really something to behold. The grassland and especially the desert environments are a feast to look at but are also uncompromising. The music has grandeur and whimsy without being intrusive.

There are some truly unforgettable moments here. Not just seeing the unique behaviours of the caterpillars or the elephants and bison being filmed very intimately. Standing out in particular were the mating of the Arabian leopards and one of the best sequences of the whole of 'Our Planet' in the five cheetah hunt, two sequences unlike anything seen before by me. There is more of a sense of jeopardy, more tension between prey and predator and more of a balance of the cute and sinister. The opening sequence is one of the series' most visually interesting and startling. There were moments that illuminated and were not so familiar and were amazing at how they were filmed in the first place.

No one will forget the cheetahs and Arabian leopards or their individual stories. There is nothing overly-cute, one-sided or reassuring here. The heavy emphasis on conservation/the environment for the series overall, and re-visited in all the episodes, has been criticised, didn't have a problem with it personally. Didn't feel lectured to, it made me think of the causes, consequences and how to stop it and it is something important to talk about and be addressed.

As one can expect, the narration is very thought-provoking and never rambling or speculative. There are some interesting individual feeling stories here throughout and so many of the species are easy to relate to. A lot of information is covered but felt properly explored and not rushed or disjointed, and the facts educate and illuminate while not being compromised for the emotionally complex storytelling. Once again, Attenborough's distinctive and unequalled narrative delivery, with his unmistakable voice, is sincere, enthusiastic as well as understated. One can listen to him for a long time and not tire of him, no other nature/wildlife documentary narrator/presenter has made me feel this way.

Summing up, one of the best of the series. 10/10