You would be forgiven for believing that "Our Planet" is just another "Planet Earth". Not only is it from the same creator as BBC America's flagship series on Alistair Fothergill, but it's also narrated by the soft tones of David Attenborough, the voice that has guided "Planet Earth" and its oceanic sister show "Blue Planet" for years. . . (Other narrators include Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, tapping to guide Spanish-speaking viewers in Latin America and Spain, respectively.) And just like "Planet Earth," the eight episodes of "Our Planet" focus on specific environments, from forests to the high seas to "frozen worlds" and beyond, with gorgeous, jaw-dropping shots of the most beautiful, intriguing, wildlife. inscrutable and astonishing of the Earth.
But there's one crucial, stark difference between "Planet Earth" and "Our Planet" that makes the latter a more necessary update than it initially seems. Whereas “Planet Earth II” wove the increasingly undeniable evidence of climate change into its fabric, particularly with its shocking and ambitious “Cities” episode, “Our Planet” makes that inevitable by pushing it front and center. If "Planet Earth" is a celebration of the world, "Our Planet" is a call to arms to save it before it is too late.
Star: David Attenborough
Each episode begins with a satellite view of Earth from the moon as Attenborough reminds us that the human population has doubled in the last 50 years and the planet has been in dire straits ever since. Each episode opens and closes with compelling facts about just how devastating the damage really is.
A jaw-dropping sequence in the premiere (the all-encompassing "One Planet") shows massive glaciers crashing into the sea. The episode "Coastal Seas" reveals raw before and after shots of coral life thriving against the bleached wastelands they have become. Polar bears cross the ice as Attenborough gravely intones that "your world is literally melting under your feet."
Make no mistake: Our Planet's mission statement is to make your viewers think beyond the gorgeous images on screen about what it takes to keep your subjects alive. The series directs viewers to a website to learn more about how they can take action to save these climates, through a partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature. (It's worth noting that "Our Planet" has been in production for three years, and thus came before Buzzfeed published extremely alarming allegations in March that WWF was working with organizations perpetuating human rights abuses, but the association nonetheless deserves further questioning in the wake of them.)
It encourages viewers to consider their own roles in the ongoing destruction of Earth's natural resources, and given Netflix's uniquely large international reach, not it is unfeasible to imagine that it could make a difference.
So while "Our Planet" basks in Earth's remaining glory, it is always candid about that critical "remnant" aspect of it. Facts are facts, and the series simply isn't interested in pretending otherwise or softening that hard truth. Sure, it will occasionally reveal some concrete examples of how wildlife has, against all odds, opposed climate change, like with a joyous colony of humpback whales and an unlikely revival of life at Chernobyl, of all places. But for the most part, "Our Planet" is so candid about how badly humans have messed up Earth that it's truly amazing. No matter how big the crisis, it is rare to see it presented in such unforgiving terms. Every time Attenborough goes from a pleasant description of how some animals live and love in the wild to how they live on borrowed time, it's a jarring transition as unbearable as it is refreshing.
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