Life Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Life Blu-ray Movie Review

Winfrey is no Attenborough, but this gorgeous BBC series still stands firm...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 30, 2010

"After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on, have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear, what remains? Nature remains." Walt Whitman

Four years in the making, shot entirely in high definition, and helmed by the BBC Natural History Unit, Life is finally coming to Blu-ray... albeit via two different releases. The first arrives courtesy of Warner Brothers, offers the original UK version of the series, and features narration by the man himself, David Attenborough. The second, arguably inferior US edition, aired on the Discovery Channel earlier this year with narration by reigning queen of daytime television, Oprah Winfrey. But regardless of whose voice you prefer, one thing remains true regardless of which version you gravitate to: Life is a magnificent documentary series that, like Planet Earth and other BBC NHU productions before it, captures breathtaking snapshots of life around the globe. Creatures locked in centuries-old conflict, desperate battles for food, majestic beasts struggling for survival, serene moments of peace and respite, haunting rituals, beautiful landscapes, inexplicable miracles of nature and, of course, absolutely stunning photography. It's all here, ready for anyone with the patience and awe such a sweeping exploration deserves.

Wondrous sights await...

Spread over ten engrossing episodes, Life relies on high speed cameras, ambitious photography, and the moxie of its daring crew to present a flash-flood of fascinating behaviors and evolutionary developments, many of which have never been caught on film before. The adventure begins with "Challenges of Life," a fitting introduction to the survival techniques and hunting methods employed by animals the world over. Watch with baited breath as a pack of cheetahs track and kill an ostrich, capuchin monkeys learn to crack palm nuts with crude tools, killer whales search for seals, bottlenose dolphins feed on fleeing fish, hippos engage in territorial warfare, giant octopi do anything and everything to protect their young, and other creatures, great and small, fight to survive. From there, "Reptiles and Amphibians" provides insight into some of the oldest species on the planet. Long-tongued chameleons, crocodiles, fierce komodo dragons, brazen pebble toads, clever garter snakes, light-footed basilisks and geckos, and elusive collared lizards prove to be captivating subjects; so much so that each one could have been at the center of its own episode. "Mammals" follows suit, granting at-home nature enthusiasts the opportunity to study seals and their pups in the Antarctic, tiny lemurs in Madagascar, elephant shrews in Africa, reindeer herds in the Arctic tundra, legions of fruit bats in Zambia, and rambunctious hyenas on the Plains, not to mention more familiar animals like humpback whales, African elephants, and meerkats.

"Fish" dives beneath the waves, utilizing high speed underwater cameras to examine the reflexes and instinctual behavior of fish that, until recently, have been much too fast to properly film. Flying fish, sailfish, clownfish, mudskippers, Hawaiian gobies, sardines, seadragons, sharks, and other carnivorous species get their due, revealing the secrets of their very survival. "Birds" takes to the skies, soaring and diving alongside thermal-gliding vultures, pelicans, Papau bowerbirds, grouse, lightning-quick hummingbirds, flamingo chicks, blood-eyed grebes, cape gannets, boatswain birds and their mortal enemy, the aggressive, red-breasted man o'war. Intriguing breeding habits, food gathering methodology, and nest building techniques are brought to light, and new discoveries are made at every turn. "Insects" benefits from the NHU's high-speed photography even more. Migrating monarch butterflies, battling Darwin beetles, finicky Japanese hemiptera nymphs, acid spewing carabids and bombardier beetles, frog-leery damsel flies, and millions upon millions of grasscutter ants swarm the proceedings, giving the film crew a unique chance to examine insect armor, defense mechanisms, and weaponry. "Hunters and Hunted" returns the series' focus to mammals, checking in with a few previously featured animals while incorporating many more. Among the new recruits are long-horned nubian ibexes, bulldog bats, star-nosed moles, tigers, gray langur monkies, short-tail weasels, brown bears, spotted chital deer, red foxes, and Ethiopian wolves, all of which play a crucial role in their ecosystems' circles of life.

As the series begins to wind down, "Creatures of the Deep" dives to unfathomable depths to visit a vast kingdom of underwater invertebrates. Witness the hunts of jumbo squid, egg-yolk jellyfish, and massive king crabs; the scavenging of sea urchins, ribbon worms, and starfish; the adaptive advances of giant cuttlefish, North Pacific octopi, and porcelain crabs; and the endless coral gardens of the seas. It may seem like "Plants" is about to pull away from wildlife altogether, but don't be fooled. Plantlife not only monitors, regulates, and maintains the health of the planet, its more sentient species are as assertive as the four-legged beasts and finned fish that have dominated the series thus far. Venus flytraps feed on unsuspecting insects, drosera plants feast on mosquitoes, Saguaro cacti spread their seeds through unwitting animals, and milkweed defends itself against hungry caterpillars. Still others utilize the elements to survive, thriving for thousands of years before succumbing to age. Finally, Life devotes an entire episode to one of the more remarkable order of animalia: "Primates." Hamadryas baboons establish disciple amidst conflict, silverback gorillas attempt to communicate with anything that approaches, capuchin monkies use rocks to split nuts, white-handed gibbons sing to soothe their families, snow monkies work to preserve and reward the strongest genes, and chimpanzees and orangutans learn to problem solve when obtaining food and moving through the jungle canopy. In each case, the primates' curiosity and intelligence seem to know few bounds.

Life continually brushes shoulders with Planet Earth, yet maintains its individuality. Even when it touches on similar subject matter, it pursues fresh angles and reveals arresting new information, setting itself apart without cheapening the educational aspect of the series. If anything, Winfrey isn't the veteran narrator Attenborough is. Her punchy voice would be more suited to shouting "You get a capuchin! You get a capuchin! You get a capuchin! Everyone! Gets! A capuchin!" than waxing poetic about the intricacies of nature and the wild wonders of the world. That's not to say her delivery is grating -- I didn't find her work to be nearly as annoying or cumbersome as the Discovery Channel version's more outspoken critics -- but she does lack the ease, subtlety, and gravitas of a more experienced narrator. She sounds amused by the creatures at her disposal, sure, but she isn't driven by the sort of sincerity required to transform each animal into much more than a sideshow attraction in the BBC's strange and savage circus. I have no doubt some people will prefer Winfrey over Attenborough. I imagine some will wish they were listening to someone else entirely. However, personal taste and preferred narrator notwithstanding, Life is a fantastic documentary series that belongs in every nature buff's collection.

Life Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While Warner's upcoming release of Life reportedly boasts a full 1080p encode, the Discovery Channel's 1080i/VC-1 transfer still represents an attractive, high-quality presentation. Colors are vibrant and lifelike, black levels are fairly well-resolved, and contrast is bright and stable. Detail is impressive as well, offering viewers refined textures and sharp edges throughout. As expected, clarity takes a hit whenever the Natural History Unit's cameras plunge beneath the seas, and the crew's magnificent high-speed shots are littered with faint lines and other unavoidable anomalies, but each one should be attributed to the series' original photography, not the proficiency of the transfer itself. Likewise, several sequences are softer than others -- as always, polar bears and other aggressive creatures fall victim to these issues more often than their gentile wild-kingdom brethren -- but such inherent issues never become a distraction. For the most part, scales and fur are beautifully rendered, flakes of ice and droplets of water are crisp and clean, and fine details pop. I only have one major complaint: minor artifacting and banding frequent each episode. While neither amounts to a serious problem, their various appearances nevertheless undermine the integrity of the NHU's gorgeous photography. Time (and side-by-side comparisons, of course) will tell whether the 1080p Warner Brothers release offers a superior presentation or a negligible upgrade. As it stands though, the Discovery Channel edition looks great and should please anyone who chooses Winfrey over Attenborough.

Life Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not to be confused with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio mix, the Discovery Channel's DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 Audio track (2046 kbps) offers a solid sonic experience, albeit one hemmed in by the front-heavy nature of the show. Winfrey's narration is clean and intelligible throughout, and her oh-so-familiar, commanding voice is given legitimate weight and presence. But like most documentary series, the bulk of the soundscape only comes out of hiding when our dutiful narrator pauses. As such, the rush of rampaging waters, the bustle of meticulous gatherers, and the guttural cries of approaching predators are often overshadowed by daytime television's foremost personality. Still, when these elements are allowed to swarm the stage, they take advantage of the opportunity. LFE output is reasonably strong and altogether satisfying, rear speaker activity is restrained but effective, and pans are nice and smooth. Moreover, nimble sound effects and notable directionality elevate the whole of the series and help it leave a more lasting mark. An intriguing secondary track is available as well -- one without narration -- but it's little more than a flat, uninspiring Dolby Digital stereo bore. Hardly the untainted jaw-dropper purists would have embraced. All in all, Life features a passable, above average audio experience; one that isn't memorable enough to add tremendous value to the release or underwhelming enough to send audiophiles scurrying.

Life Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4-disc Discovery Channel release of Life offers a generous supplemental package; one that goes above and beyond, outclassing similar series on the market with more than two hours of behind-the-scenes documentaries and twenty-minutes of additional footage. The bulk of the material is spread across ten BBC-produced "On Location" mini-docs (Discs 1-4, HD, 109 minutes), each of which digs into the process behind filming such diverse wildlife, the challenges both the documentarians and film crews faced along the way, and the various techniques they employed to capture some of Life's most breathtaking shots. A full-length bonus special, the aptly titled "The Making of Life" (Disc 4, HD, 42 minutes), expounds upon the team's impressive efforts even further. In it, Oprah Winfrey introduces nature enthusiasts to the experts and cameramen who braved many a dangerous locale to follow and study a myriad of creatures. Finally, a batch of "Deleted Scenes" (Disc 4, HD, 18 minutes) serves up some memorable, series-worthy footage complete with finalized narration.

Note all of the 4-disc set's supplemental content is presented in high definition and features DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 audio.

Life Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One gripping documentary series, two different releases. While Warner Brothers is fielding the original BBC broadcast (complete with David Attenborough narration and 1080p video), the Discovery Channel is offering the US version of the series (narrated by Oprah Winfrey). Sure, it faces an uphill battle, but don't write it off just yet. Its 1080i video transfer is quite striking, its DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 audio track holds its own, and its generous supplemental package features nearly three hours of content. Obviously, Life fans-on-the-fence should wait until both versions have been reviewed before deciding which one suits their tastes, but anyone who chooses the Discovery Channel edition over the original BBC version will still get their money's worth.