7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Visible from space, the Great Rift runs for thousands of miles. It creates, connects and defines the wildest, most charismatic landscape in the world. From the majestic, snow-capped mountains of the Kilimanjaro to the hustle and bustle of the Red Sea's coral reefs; the dry open savannahs of the Serengeti to the rain-soaked forests of the Mountains of the Moon. The Great Rift displays remarkable wildlife and awe-inspiring landscapes. It's home to the greatest concentration of animals on earth - lions, crocodiles, elephants, hippos and flocks of flamingos - and pastoralists such as the Maasai - this is a land in constant geological turmoil.
Documentary | 100% |
Nature | 81% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD HR 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In this turbulent landscape, volcanic fire has proved to be less a destroyer and more a creator of new life.
There was a time in everyone's life when "Nature documentary" meant listening to some babbling Brit go on and on and on and on about the
splendor
of some natural land mass, the vastness of some body of water, the habitat of some mammal, or the mating rituals of some exotic crustacean. It
might have been a bore, but it sure was better than listening to Miss Jones or Mr. Smith, in all their Peanuts-like glory, discuss the same
thing during sixth-grade Geography where every word was in one ear and out the next as fast little Johnny could dream of getting back home to his
Super Nintendo or Suzy could get her nose back in the latest Baby-Sitter's Club page-turner. If nothing else, "Nature documentary" meant
the classroom lights would dim, the blinds would close, and that sweet seat back in the right-hand corner of the room found just enough darkness
that
teacher couldn't see those closed eyes, that rested head, and the slowly-but-surely accumulating puddle of drool. Those were the days, but the
"Nature documentary" has changed -- or at least buyers of the BBC's The Great Rift aren't sixth-graders with anything but Africa's most
spectacular region on their minds. Whether it's the Nature Documentary or the viewer that's evolved doesn't matter; The Great Rift is
almost as awe-inspiring as the
material it covers, the BBC Earth documentary proving to be a wholly-absorbing spectacle that transports its audience to the furthest corners of the
continent for a unique glimpse into an ever-evolving ecosystem that's infinitely more interesting than taking yet another lap around Mute City or the
latest adventure in the fictional town of Stoneybrook.
Real or CGI? You be the judge.
The Great Rift arrives on Blu-ray with a somewhat frustrating but ultimately sturdy 1080i transfer. No doubt this program looks fantastic at-a-glance. Detail is positively striking throughout, with the image capturing the texture of a lizard's hide, the softness of animal fur, and the roughness of rocks with a clarity that must be seen to be believed. Colors are bold but accurate, with greens in particular standing out as amazingly rich and vibrant, but the entire palette enjoys a steady, honest-to-realism appearance. Blacks, too, are impressively deep and true, particularly those seen during several cave scenes. The transfer borders on the breathtaking at several junctures, even considering the program's glossy and clear texture that captures a decidedly video-like sheen. Unfortunately, there are a plethora of very minor but nevertheless noticeable problem spots that bring down the transfer's grade by several points. Sporadic noise exists but is never much of an issue. Some of the imagery appears soft, with several scenes looking more like standard rather than high definition considering how fuzzy and murky they appear, not including those rougher underwater or nighttime shots that necessarily look poor in relation to the image-at-large. Slight shimmering, ringing, and edge enhancement are occasionally visible as well. Fortunately, these problems don't dominate the proceedings. They're all drowned out by the gorgeous detailing and splendid colors that define the bulk of the image, but there are just enough trouble spots to reduce the score down from the top end of the scale.
The Great Rift debuts on Blu-ray with a technically sound but aurally bland DTS-HD HR 2.0 soundtrack. This is the perfect example of a soundtrack built for something other than whiz-bang surround effects and total sonic immersion into its varied environments. Considering the challenges of capturing the action outside of a studio environment or without the support of untold numbers of crew on-location so as not to too terribly infringe on the natural habitats of the Rift and by extension disturb any chance for that perfect shot, one can't help but be pleased that the results are as good as this. The Great Rift doesn't necessarily call for a more robust sonic presentation; it's centered around Hugh Quarshie's narration, which is reproduced with precision. The track proves mostly smooth and reliable outside its narration, with music -- both instrumental and tribal -- enjoying a fair bit of clarity and spacing across the front. Ambience in the form of a cold, gusty wind; driving rain; rustling bushes; and birds singing off in the distance are all handled well enough but with a mostly generic texture that allows the sounds to seep into the listening area without doing much to create the kind of totally-immersive atmosphere that might be found in a finely-tuned 5.1 or 7.1 mix. As it is, BBC's 2.0 soundtrack for The Great Rift proves satisfactory at a base level.
Oddly enough, Inside the Great Rift -- the disc's lone supplement -- is found not as a separate entity in the menu but instead intermixed into the body of the film itself. The three segments examine the challenges of creating the series by peeking behind-the-scenes and focusing on the people and technologies that made The Great Rift possible. It's hard to call this a real "supplement" as it supposedly ran as part of the program as it originally aired on television, but at least it's here and available, albeit in a somewhat unconventional manner.
The Great Rift takes audiences on a journey of discovery to one of the most exotic locations in the world. Supported by gorgeous and, in some cases, groundbreaking photography, The Great Rift is not merely an educational tool but instead an all-encompassing examination of an entire ecosystem. Rather than merely recount the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys, this BBC Earth documentary captures more abstract and soul-stirring elements in the way it so wonderfully showcases nature in its most basic state and nudges -- not forces -- its viewers to expand their horizons both into the worlds this series uncovers and those found elsewhere around the planet, and beyond, that prove as exhilarating and mentally, emotionally, and spiritually satisfying as this. BBC's The Great Rift doesn't come with any real extras that exist completely separate from what originally aired on television, and the technical presentation is merely average. Still, The Great Rift comes recommended based on the strength of the program and the generally solid but not problem-free high definition transfer.
BBC
2011
2009
2009
2006
2008
2008
BBC
2011
2007
BBC / Narrated by David Attenborough
2009
2013
The Original UK Series
2011
2010
2010
2001
2007
The Complete Series
2006
2012
2014-2015
1992
2015