Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Great Rift Blu-ray Movie Review

This fascinating journey to exotic lands earns a spotty Blu-ray release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 30, 2010

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.

Some 30 million years ago, the area of Eastern African now known as "The Great Rift" once sat high and proud as a plateau roughly the size of Spain. Over the millennia, it's slowly but surely transformed into a land mass that's Africa's answer to the Grand Canyon. Within its boundaries and around its perimeter lies a world unlike anything man has ever seen. It's home to species both common and exotic, a thriving ecosystem of interdependence, danger, unspeakable beauties, and limitless potential for scientific discovery. The Great Rift examines in some detail the three primary environments that form the basic constructs of the Rift. In the first episode, "Fire," viewers are introduced to the species, geography, climate, and history of the volcanic mountains that line the Rift -- including Mount Kilimanjaro -- and that over time have developed the region into a thriving habitat for an assortment of astonishing creatures, including side-striped chameleons, mountain bongos, and the never-before-videotaped kipunji. Episode two, "Water," takes viewers deep into the dynamic ecosystems found in and around the bodies of water that flow through the Rift, focusing not only on what lives below the surface but the creatures that thrive above it. Of note in this episode is the first-ever glimpse of bottom-feeding crustaceans that prove their dominance on the ocean floor while up above the surface swarms of tiny winged creatures known as "midges" -- it's estimated that the swarms around the Rift are comprised of individual midges that number greater than the Earth's human population -- lay their eggs on the water's surface and, through the miracle of a functionally thriving ecosystem, ultimately lead to protein-rich catches of sardines that feed some 20 million humans living in the areas around the Rift. Finally, "Grass' focuses on the life and times of the species and environments that define the Rift's wondrous Savanna region. Here, the dynamic that sees herbivores and carnivores sharing the same environment is thoroughly examined, as is the never-before-seen nocturnal habits of several species.

The Great Rift is more about the experience rather than the knowledge it shares. Most viewers won't leave the series having remembered every fact, every figure, every creature's name, or the exact history of how the rift was formed, and that's perfectly fine. It's a lot of information to absorb, and what makes The Great Rift such a fascinating journey is that it's just that: a journey, not one necessarily of the mind but of the soul. The series is more about those many "wow!" moments that will leave audiences breathless with the natural beauty around the Rift or the intricacies of a thriving ecosystem at work. It's not about rote memorization, amassing facts and figures, or forcing needless information on the audience; the nitty-gritty details are left to support the series rather than define it, and with that The Great Rift impresses not as an end-all, be-all final word on the Rift, but as a springboard to further studies not necessarily of everything the series has to offer, but of maybe one or two exotic creatures, habitats, or scientific facts presented within the context of the greater whole. The Great Rift offers an excellent overview of one the world's most fascinating places, but that the series finds that middle ground between informative and entertaining is its greatest asset. The Great Rift is as perfect for the Geography classroom -- and no, it won't bore 2010 students into fantasies of killing zombies in Dead Rising 2 or reading one of the four "Twilight" books again for the umpteenth time -- as it is the individual long since graduated from school who wants to learn more about the world around him or for the family that wants to gather around the television for programming of equally high educational and entertainment value that also happens to be impeccably produced.

Indeed, that The Great Rift is as absorbing when examined from a technical perspective as it is a thematic one is not merely icing on the cake but a crucial component in ensuring that the series exists in a realm that takes it well beyond the otherwise dry and sometimes borderline unwatchable fare that pales next to BBC Earth's excellent programs. The series is beyond amazing in its technical achievements. It's ability to create untold tensions and engender such a sense of wonder as the world of the animal kingdom and the habitats and varied environments around them continue to develop is second-to-none. The Great Rift makes deadly games of chase between hunter and prey, the hierarchy of the food chain, the playfulness of young hippos, or a bat's nursing of its young seem like the most fascinating things that ever did play out on this Earth, and the series always finds a way to equal or top in scope, importance, and entertainment value its previous efforts with every new segment. It's all grounded by an intelligent, informed, and occasionally witty script, strongly narrated by Hugh Quarshie. Even better is the realization of the scope of the effort that went into crafting a nearly three-hour documentary and ensuring a seamlessness between visuals and commentary. Never does a scene go by where it doesn't almost feel like the creatures and environments were in on the filmmaking process, knowingly doing what had to be done to reinforce a point or demonstrate an action; that the series feel so polished, so accurate, so true to its intentions is a marvel all its own, as is the filmmakers' uncanny ability to capture nature in its most raw state while delicately treading the sacred ground around the Rift and leaving the creatures' various habitats as undisturbed as possible so as to ensure that each of them would appear for the camera, even at night or at the deepest depths of the watery environments around the Rift. The Great Rift is a testament to filmmaking of the most marvelous kind, the kind that captures the essence of reality by showcasing the world unscripted, unrehearsed, and as it is but not necessarily as it will continue to be, its future shaped by the slowly but ever-changing landscape of the Great Rift.

The Great Rift Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Great Rift Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.