Movie Review On Film Viewing Guide: "Earth"

- “Earth” This film chronicles the life of several different animal families. There are four themes followed throughout the movie: seasonal patterns, climate change, individual animal stories and hunter/ hunted interactions.
- I chose to watch this documentary because I find this film to be a great example of the wonder of nature. The imagery throughout the film is awe inspiring. I was also interested in the message of conservation the film proposed.
- The central point of the film was the amazing animal life on planet Earth. The goal of the director was to promote conservation. The director wanted to expose individuals to all area of the earth and tell the story of life there.
- The director conveys the message by telling the story through a third person narrator. The camera techniques are diverse from close ups to aerial work. Color was used to illustrate the natural beauty of these animals, from the vibrant plumage of birds to the spectacle of sea life. Facts are conveyed by the narrator and are meant to inspire interest in the animals depicted.
- I found this film to be one of the most awe inspiring documentaries that I have ever seen. I was captivated by the sheer beauty produced throughout these edited shots. The imagery was stunning. The stories were not as complex and as informative as I would have liked, simply because the film encompasses so much, all of life on Earth. My favorite shots were the aerial views that panned across the surface of the Earth showing the life upon it. The production value of this film is very high. They even show at the end of the film the difficult journey it was to capture such rare creatures on Earth.
- Among my favorite scenes in the film was the mother polar bear and her cubs awakening from hibernation. The vastness and bleakness of the Arctic is apparent. The mother slowly emerging to allow her cubs to see daylight for the first time was moving. While the cubs first attempts at walking were adorable. The scene hits all emotions. Despite the cuteness of the scene you also feel a sense of dread as you know that now that these cubs have emerged they are going into a struggle for existence within the Artic. The narrator confirms your fears when he mentions that it is unlikely that the cubs will survive to adulthood. This circle of life is what the film is all about. The close ups on the mother and cubs shows the intriguing nature of their bodies adaptions to the cold. The shots that pan across the frozen tundra show the hazards they will face now that they have emerged from their den of safety. The long rest is only a brief reprise from life, as the mother and cubs set off on their journey to find food and survive. The story is even more poignant when you realize that humans may be the cause of the death of these cubs. The melting of the ice caps as a result of global warming has put these animals is dire danger. This drives home the message of the film: we must learn to respect earth and the life upon it or face the consequences.