8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the Galápagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals. As the western islands rise up from the sea offering a chance of life, the eastern islands sink back beneath the waves guaranteeing only death. Between the two are the middle islands; fertile, lush land in its prime that contains an incredible diversity of life. Nowhere else on the Earth are the twin processes of creation and extinction of species so starkly apparent... see it all unfold before your eyes in this stunning series filmed entirely in high definition from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel.
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Stacy KeachDocumentary | 100% |
Nature | 89% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (448 kbps)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There is little wonder why a humble group of Pacific islands - el archipielago de Colón –
continue to capture the attention and fascination of so many, throughout the centuries of
contemporary human history. The Galápagos islands, born of fire, shaped by the sea, and inhabited
by the fortunate and the hapless, are truly a biological microcosm and a geologic
phenomenon.
It is not known if there were ever any human visitors to these lonesome isles until the 16th
century, when Tomás de Berlanga, the bishop of Panama, accidentally sailed into them in March of
1535 when journeying to Peru. He later wrote of a cursed and infernal place – to his eyes, a hell on
Earth. The harsh and highly variant climates of the islands certainly seem forsaken upon first
impression. But as this thorough BBC documentary attests, the unique nature of these glorified
rocky outcroppings is revealed upon further exploration.
A young Charles Darwin explores the peculiar island residents, including this giant tortoise.
Averaging around 20 Mbps, Galápagos sports an interlaced VC-1 encoding, even though the
packaging erroneously states it is formatted in full 1080p. The material was sourced at 1080i 50Hz
from the BBC, which was then converted to 1080i 60Hz for BD. The documentary looks
surprisingly good - much like its global scale cousin, Planet Earth. There is great care taken by the
filmmakers to capture an extraordinary amount of detail in their subjects, and extreme close-ups
are plentiful throughout. Every feather and rough, horned hide depicted has a fine amount of
detail, and every feature of a slender garden eel or minute goby fish is apparent, and makes for
excellent repeat viewing - if only to catch all the detail!
For all of its visual appeal, however, one can't help but wonder what this title might have looked like
had it been able to utilize a full 1080p, high-bitrate spec. The picture did not look digitally "scrubbed
clean," thank goodness, although there still seems to be an ever-so-slight amount of softness that's
likely attributed to an interlaced source. Galápagos has incredibly good picture quality
regardless, and I heartily recommend it.
Where Galápagos really falls short is with its audio offering - nothing more than a Dolby
Digital 2.0 option. While it sounds well enough, especially with the fairly generous amount of
narration by Tilda Swinton, it's really a shame that such a wonderfully produced documentary, on a
high definition format, has the sound of your average CD. Ambient effects especially would have
benefit from, at the very least, a DD 5.1 treatment; if not a lossless option, something rarely found
on minor BD releases like documentaries anyway.
As it is - and as would be expected - the audio presentation is very flat, with the sound feeling
condensed into too small a space. As mentioned previously, ambient effects would have added a
fuller and more immersive soundscape to the feature, and an LFE channel could have been an ideal
tool to add rumble and "oomph" to the ubiquitous roaring surf. It's a rather unfortunate decision,
what with Blu-ray's A/V capabilities, but given the educational nature of this title, it suffices well
enough.
Unfortunately, there are no extras or Easter eggs whatsoever on this release.
It is incredibly intriguing how things tend to take root in the unlikeliest of places. Fiery, barren rock,
isolated hundreds of miles out into the ocean from the nearest continent, gives way to flourishing
life - when given a few millennia. Life forms that just happen upon a pristine, yet harsh,
environment adapt and thrive in time. And these humble rocks eventually inspired one young,
curious man into a grand epiphany that changed the way humanity looked at life on Earth forever.
The BBC has again done an excellent job of covering the natural wonders of our planet, and this
Blu-ray disc shows the Galápagos archipelago in a beautiful and almost ideal fashion. Its highly
unique and almost alien wildlife will fascinate and mesmerize. Its geologic phenomena and its fiery
heart are awe-inspiring. All around, this is a wonderful documentary and the Blu-ray, while not
perfect, is more than adequate to show off the beauty of these Pacific oddities.
2007
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BBC
2011
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BBC
2011
2007
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2009
BBC / Narrated by David Attenborough
2009
The Complete Series
2006
1992
2013
The Original UK Series
2011
2009
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2008
IMAX
2003