America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 3, 2018

National monuments are established by presidential proclamation and, sometimes, by congressional act. They come in varying sizes, types, and levels of public notoriety, ranging from bucket list must-sees to smaller, less publicized, but no less historically significant and, often, breathtaking reminders of natural wonder and rich history. Mill Creek’s 12-part documentary series America’s Treasures offers a cross-section overview of a number of the nation’s most prominent, historically interesting, and culturally enriching parks and monuments. Each episode begins with an overview of the area before offering a brief virtual tour of the park or monument and sometimes adds a segment on its history and culture or natural and scientific wonders. The series offers insightful, lyrical, and pleasingly delivered narration atop consistently gorgeous photography hindered only by the lower quality of the photographic equipment, making this a nature series less ideal for home theater enthusiasts only seeking out top-end picture quality and more appropriate for educational and general entertainment purposes, for those seeking to broaden their horizons, not showcase their home theater.

The following programs are included in the set.

Disc One:

• Fossil Worlds (27:02): The United States is a land rich in fossils that tell the story of the life that was. Many of the most fossil rich locations have been preserved within national parks. Two in the Western United States stand out: Florissant Fossil Beds and Dinosaur National Monument in Northeast Colorado. This segment offers a brief virtual tour of each, exploring critical formations and native ecosystems. The segment additionally offers a brief study of each area’s history and culture.
• Ancient Cemeteries (26:48): Segment two focuses on another part of the country: Effigy Mounds National Monument on the Iowa-Wisconsin border, and Hopewell Culture National History Park (Mound City Group National Monument) in Southern Ohio. The Native American burial mounds are popular attractions, but many mysteries remain amongst the chillingly beautiful and long-standing manmade formations. Again, virtual tours and a segment on history and culture, more hand-in-hand for this segment than the previous, as well as a look at the areas’ natural science, are included.
• The Anasazi Homeland (27:00): The four corners region in the Southwestern United States is home to the largest collection of national parks and monuments in the world. It was also home to the native Anasazi peoples, in what is today known as “Red Rocks Country,” a “geologist’s paradise.” This segment explores the native Cliff Dwellings and offers virtual tours of Canyon de Chelly National Monument and Bandelier National Monument, as well as a segment on the science and nature points of interests within Canyon de Chelly.
• The Fur Trade (26:25): It was “the era when beaver pelts ruled the wilderness.” This segment on the fur trade days of yore offers footage from historical recreations of the time that reveal life and commerce as they once were. The first virtual tour focuses on Grand Portage National Monument, designated in 1958, which can be found in Minnesota. A nature and science sequence is also featured. The second virtual tour takes viewers to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and concludes with a piece on the area’s history and culture.
• Subtropical Florida (25:37): This piece begins with a look at Florida’s geography and ecosystem. Amongst the highlighted locations via virtual tour are De Soto National Memorial, so named for Spaniard Hernando de Soto and for his arrival on the state’s western coast in 1539. He is also credited with discovering the Mississippi River. The segment also includes a piece on the area’s history and culture. A virtual tour for Canaveral National Seashore is also included; this area is home to the most famous barrier island in the world and, of course, Kennedy Space Center. A history and culture segment is included for this area as well.
• The Great Indian Wars (25:59): This segment begins with a brief oral and visually recreated history of the Great Indian Wars, one of the costliest and longest wars in U.S. history. The focus is on several key sites in the Western United States that were prominent in the war: Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. All three earn the series-typical virtual tour, while a segment on Laramie’s history and culture is also included.
• Symbols of Liberty (25:32): This segment features several of the most prominent manmade landmarks in the United Sates, including the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which includes dozens upon dozens of key historical sites. Amongst those highlighted for this piece include the Washington Monument, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the White House. However, this segment offers virtual tours of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, each earning a virtual tour and a segment each on history and culture.
• Road to Equality (26:30): This piece begins with a brief look back at some of the key moments in the struggle for equal rights for African-Americans throughout U.S. history. This segment focuses on two giants in the march to equality who have been immortalized in the national parks system. Virtual tours and history and culture segments for both Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and Booker T. Washington National Monument briefly reveal the importance these men played in shaping American, and world, history.

Disc Two:

• The Incredible Pacific Coast (25:50): An exploration of the natural wonders along the United States’ Pacific coast, both along the continental U.S.’ western seaboard and the Alaskan coast, too. This segment offers a deeper look at the California Coastal National Monument, Redwood National and State Parks (plus Science and Nature segment), and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, together offering a diverse cross-section of beauty and bold natural power across varied climates.
• Canyon Country (27:01): A look at several of the area's places of interest, including the Grand Canyon region in Colorado’s Western Slope where two canyons — Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Colorado National Monument — are located. Of course, each earn the essential “virtual tour” segments that reveal many of the key wonders found within the each site's boundaries.
• The Southern Rockies (25:37): The Rocky Mountains stand amongst the most majestic sights in the world. But beyond natural beauty, the area is also vital as a source of supply water for the Colorado river, sending water to the Imperial Valley and Pacific Coast, as well as several rivers that flow towards the Atlantic. Natural beauty abounds, as does diverse wildlife. This segment explores, within the larger Rocky Mountain region, Great Sand Dunes Natural Park and Preserve and Pecos National Historic Park, the former earning both a virtual tour and a science and nature section, the latter a virtual tour only.
• Monuments That Became Great Parks (25:59): An exploration of three monuments that became parks that may not stand at the top tier of majesty and popularity but that are nevertheless beautiful to behold and critical cornerstones of the National Park system. Highlighted parks include Olympic National Park (virtual tour), Joshua Tree National Park (virtual tour and nature and science), and Grand Teton National Park (virtual tour and science and nature).

America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

America's Treasures looks respectable enough for classroom duty, but home theater picture quality aficionados will balk, and balk fast. The image is besieged by various source and encode shortcomings, including, but not limited to, banding, shimmering, macroblocking, and jagged edges. Detailing, however, can be adequate, with regards to simple elements like grasses, terrain, rocky formations, and the like, the cornerstone visual elements within the program. Of course, the key word is "adequate." Expect little, receive a modest level of textural clarity, offset by the image's inherent smoothness and any or all of the problems mentioned above. Colors are decent enough, nothing to wow but nothing to sneeze at, either, finding adequate depth to blue skies or green grasses, earthen formations, and the like. Buy this release for content of programming, not quality of video presentation.

America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

America's Treasures features an LPCM 2.0 uncompressed soundtrack. The track's two primary elements present with adequate clarity. Musical spacing and definition are fair, stretching the stage to satisfying width and featuring overlaid score with pleasing enough accuracy. Narration is generally crisp and commanding, though never quite feels imaged directly in the front-center portion of the stage. The handful of interviews with park rangers, etc. are much more harsh, competing with gusty winds blowing into the microphone.

America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

America's Treasures contains no extras on either Blu-ray disc. A Mil Creek digital copy code is included with purchase.

America's Treasures - 12 Part National Monument Documentary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

America's Treasures is another great Mill Creek-released documentary. While it lacks the polish of the big boys, content is king and content here his very good. It's an agreeable travelogue, a collection of sights and facts from many wondrous places, naturally formed and manmade, with diverse ecosystems and histories to explore. It's nearly the next best thing to going. Although the numerical final score is an average of the four main review sections and sit a little lower than the usual "recommend" threshold, the release nevertheless comes more highly recommended when taking into account the price and the wonderful content.