‘Prehistoric Planet’ is a Strong Addition to Apple TV+’s Library

Photo: ‘Prehistoric Planet’

When Nature Documentaries Go Prehistoric

Television nature documentaries can be found just about everywhere in this day and age. There exist entire television channels that are dedicated to showing programs that teach viewers about the world of plants, animals, and natural environments. And with the abundance of these documentary shows being made, it was only a matter of time before the next step was taken and dinosaurs became the subject of such works. In 1999, the BBC produced the six-part series ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’, which used a mixture of computer animation and puppetry to bring dinosaurs back to life. It’s a simple, yet very clever idea. People interested in learning about dinosaurs would get to see them in action while learning about how they lived.

The success of this series no doubt had an impact on various other dinosaur documentaries made in a similar vein throughout the years, including two separate series coincidentally named ‘Dinosaur Planet’ (an American series from the early 2000s) and ‘Planet Dinosaur’ (A British series from 2011). However, today I’m going to take a look at the most recent work in this trend, Apple TV+’s new five-part miniseries ‘Prehistoric Planet’.

Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to The Hollywood Insider

Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy.

‘Prehistoric Planet’ is a series that, much like its predecessor, was produced by the BBC, more specifically their Natural History Unit. Jon Favreau is an executive producer, and David Attenborough, a natural historian who’s been involved in countless other natural documentaries, narrates the series. The five-part series chronicles the lives of various dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous period, with each episode focusing on a different location, such as coastlines, deserts, or forests. The dinosaurs themselves are brought to life with realistic CGI, animated against live-action backdrops filmed in various locations all over the world.

‘Prehistoric Planet’ – A Trip Back in Time Worth Taking

Having seen the better part of this series as of this writing, I’m happy to report that ‘Prehistoric Planet’ is an excellent series. As far as nature documentaries go, it’s fairly straightforward, but it works really well through both its strong production values, and its educational aspect. As I said earlier, I really love the concept of dinosaur nature documentaries; even if the onscreen dinosaurs need to be faked in order to properly work, the information they give accompanied by their visuals provides for the perfect learning experience for natural history enthusiasts and people who simply love dinosaurs. David Attenborough does as excellent a job narrating as you’d expect from someone with his level of experience; his cadence and delivery suit the tone of the series perfectly.

Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here.

On top of that, his narration is incorporated in just the right amount; it allows a lot of the onscreen action speak for itself, while also explaining things that may not be apparent from what’s shown through visuals alone. Another aspect I appreciate about ‘Prehistoric Planet’ is that it covers a wide variety of different dinosaurs, and not just the generally recognizable ones typically seen in media like the Stegosaurus, the T-Rex, and the Brontosaurus. Some of the species on display are pretty darn out there, and it’s refreshing to see dinosaurs that don’t normally get that much spotlight.

While the dinosaurs are the obvious stars of the show here, it’s worth stating just how gorgeous this series looks overall. There are some truly beautiful shots of the natural world, and the dinosaurs blend in perfectly. Some highlights include twinkling ammonites communicating to each other, and a large herd of Barbaridactylus flying majestically through a canyon. I am not exaggerating when I say that some of these moments are flat-out Cinematic in nature, especially when in conjunction with the incredible score, composed by Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman, and Kara Talve. ‘Prehistoric Planet’ is also a testament to how far CGI has come over the course of the years, as the dinosaurs all look and move incredibly realistically for the most part. I wasn’t surprised to find out that Jon Favreau was a producer on this series, as the remake of ‘The Lion King’ that he helmed was a realistic CGI production that aimed to invoke the feelings of a documentary. However, there were admittedly a few moments where the CGI wasn’t perfect, such as the Dreadnoughtus’ inflating air sacs at the start of the second episode. Despite that, this show succeeds at being an effective documentary, regardless of its fully animated subjects.

Treading Familiar Ground

It goes without saying that ‘Prehistoric Planet’ is a series with a ton of heart and care poured into it, but after watching most of it, I couldn’t help but feel like it began to feel kind of same-y after a while. As far as dinosaur documentaries go, it doesn’t bring much that’s new or different to the table, apart from realistic modern-day CGI. I do feel kind of bad criticizing this aspect of such a well-made series, as this is just part of what a nature documentary is: observing animals in their habitat and explaining how they thrive. In that sense, ‘Prehistoric Planet’ does exactly what it sets out to do, but the repetitive nature of the show does make it hard to get completely invested in. Apple’s release of this show consisted of a single new episode coming out each day, and I feel watching it that way works the best. Instead of binge-watching it all at once, watching it one episode at a time is the best course of action. Each day, you’ll get a new location and new dinosaurs to learn about.

Who’s It For?

Minor gripes aside, ‘Prehistoric Planet’ is well worth your time. I haven’t seen ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’, so I am unable to comment on how this new series compares to it, but on its own, ‘Prehistoric Planet’ not only works as a standalone dino-documentary, but it’s one that I feel is perfect for all ages. It’s no secret that plenty of children are fascinated by dinosaurs (I myself was one such child), and chances are that they’re going to love this series. While not without its mildly intense moments, it’s not too scary or violent for children, even with some fleeting violent imagery in the third episode. Children aside, people interested in learning more about dinosaurs will also no doubt have fun with this series. Between the stellar presentation and the prehistoric knowledge to be gained from it, this is a show that I’d happily recommend to the entire family.

‘Prehistoric Planet’ is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Cast & Crew:

Narrated by: David Attenborough

Directed by: Adam Valdez & Andrew Jones

Written by: Paul D. Stewart, Dom Walter, Paul Thompson, Simon Bell

By Austin Oguri

Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.

I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV. media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”

More Interesting Stories From The Hollywood Insider

– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY

– A Tribute to Martin Scorsese: A Complete Analysis of the Life and Career of the Man Who Lives and Breathes Cinema

– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece

– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond

– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More

prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet, prehistoric planet

Source link