Earth (DisneyNature)

[Johann]

I went into the AMC lobby to see a blockbuster and my eye was caught by the poster for Disney's Earth, so I went in.
I figured there was a good chance of seeing some good shots of nature. Well, that is a major understatement.
This was one of the greatest films I've ever seen.

They picked a bona-fide Legend to narrate this incredible work of cinematic art: James Earl Jones, and it was produced in collaboration with the BBC and Discovery films and others- what Disney has to do with it besides distribution I have no idea. But Walt's nephew Roy was in a trailer for "OCEANS", to be released in 2010, before the film was shown, and I guess that the Disney company decided to go back to what made the name Disney great: nature programs.

Indeed, there is not one single ignorant asshole human to be seen. (James Earl Jones is heard, but we all trust that man, dont we?)

This is Nature, Life on Earth, SURVIVAL on Earth, in all of it's wild, unvarnished, NATURAL glory. You owe it to yourself to get to a theatre showing this Masterpiece because you will be in awe of the images and sequences on display. Of course, only if you have a soul, if you feel some kinship with Mother Earth and the Life it sustains, whether it's in the arctic, antarctic, African plains or deserts, rainforests, harsh mountains, oceans- you name it, the filmmakers went there. And they got some absolutely stunning and unforgettable images. I swear to you, it seems as if the filmmakers would not accept any images or film unless it was jaw-dropping or breathtaking or both. I was in absolute heaven watching this, and the inner joy I had over deciding to see this is just incredible.

Am I raving?
You bet your fucking ass I'm raving about EARTH.
The landscapes and satellite shots of this planet that the photographers got are simply unbelievable. No joke.
And I lost count of the number of photographers credited in the credits. There's at least 30 of them.
I would love to know more about how they achieved the sublime shots that are all over this movie.
In one sequence I had the brief thought that it might have a little CGI in it (the cranes and the turbulence over the jaw-dropping mountain shots) but it's probably all 100% real.


The sequence that stunned me into my seat was the rainforest scenes of the birds of paradise. I have never seen anything in my life like those birds. You watch it and tell me that those birds aren't the chosen birds of God's creative powers.
Blew my mind, man. Just fucking blew my cinephile mind...

What animals are profiled?

Polar bears (and young)
Seals.
Penguins.
Walruses.
Whales (in particular, a mother and child team that travel 4000 miles from the tropics to the waters of Antarctica in order to find food)
Snow Leopards.
Lions.
Wolves.
Giraffes.
Leopards proper.
Buffalo.
Caribou.
Elephants. (Your heart will sink with some of the elephant footage & scenes- extremely harrowing and dramatic stuff)
Gorillas.
Monkeys.
Sharks (one amazing sequence in slo-mo has a great white leaping out of the ocean with prey in it's mouth- unreal brother)


The list is quite long for the creatures profiled.
And the editing is very brisk. No one, not even little kids would be lost watching this. It just inspires total awe in the viewer and I feel very priviledged to have seen it on the big screen- where it must be seen in order to receive the full glory of the images on display.

Each time lapse photography sequence should take your breath away. I seriously felt like standing up after the movie and applauding, but I was alone and right down front- it would've looked strange.

Thumbs up?
Forget about it.
Absolutely amazing film that will wow you in ways that films like
Baraka and Koyaanisquatsi did.

See it in a theatre or you'll kick yourself!

[Johann]

I just found out that this film is 2 years old, and a lot of the footage was from Attenborough's "Planet Earth" series, and that Patrick Stewart narrates the film in the UK version.

The reviews on the imdb are similar to my rave.
People were profoundly moved by it.
You will be too.
You got a full money back fucking guarantee from me on that.

The planet Earth is 23.5 degrees from the sun- the perfect distance to create an eco-system that can support so many multitudes and multitudes of life forms.

The colors in this film will dazzle you beyond belief.
Where I saw it, (at the AMC Dundas and Yonge) every single theatre is digital projection- the sharpest of the sharp for images.
13 bucks a ticket but it's worth it. The seats are first class (they recline, are very plush and comfortable, with lots of leg room) and the sound systems take cues from the IMAX theatres- they have speakers in place directly behind the perforated screens.
The AMC gets huge thumbs up from everybody I think.
If you're ever in T.O. that theatre won't let you down.
I've loved every trip. It's extremely clean and has movie-related materials over all three floors: murals, posters and the entrance has movie quotes embedded into the stone floor!

But there's one other behemoth cineplex in Downtown Toronto that kicks balls: Scotiabank. (on Richmond and John).
Massive escalators take you up to the multiplex after you've bought tix in the large main lobby, which has huge replicas of the starship Enterprise and a Romulan Bird of Prey. (Perfect for tourists to take snaps of).
Scotia has the IMAX theatre.
My uncle swears it's the best theatre in the city and I can't argue.

Go see "EARTH" if it's playing in your town.
I can't believe it's two years old!
How come I never heard about it?

It's a cinematic experience that everybody and I mean EVERYBODY should see. It's just fucking awesome man.

[Johann]

I just found out that this film had over 60 photographers! Sixty!

I keep thinking about my experience watching this and I'm convinced it's one of the greatest pieces of celluloid the human race has ever put together. Give it an Oscar, Palme, anything.
It deserves it.