Blu-Ray Review: Mesmerizing ‘Planet Earth: Six-Disc Special Edition’

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CHICAGO – “Planet Earth” is one of the most highly-acclaimed Blu-rays of all time and a cherished gift every holiday season. What does a company do when so many people already own one of their most beloved products? It’s time for a re-release! Luckily for fans of “Planet Earth,” there’s enough new material here (and a stellar new video transfer) to justify the double dip. Sell your old version of “Planet Earth” and ask Santa for this one.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

If you’re a casual fan of the most remarkable nature documentary of all time, I wouldn’t jump the gun. The meat of the release here is still the same material as was released on Blu-ray in 2007 — the excellent episodes of “Planet Earth,” a show that chronicles our natural world in a way that Hollywood could never recreate with CGI. “Planet Earth” is still an amazing visual experience, even more so with a new transfer that takes “advantage of recent innovations in Blu-ray technology.” It may sound like a cheap ploy to get people to buy the same release twice but the picture actually does look better, believe it not. This is the kind of jaw-dropping release that they use in stores to sell HD TVs. The video quality alone makes it a definite purchase for those who don’t own the previous edition.

What if you do want to upgrade? What’s new besides the video quality? There are seven hours of bonus features for the first time ever including four new bonus programs. All in all, it adds up to the kind of Blu-ray release that one can spend days with, revisit, and, most importantly, introduce to the next generation. I look forward to the day that my sons are old enough to marvel at “Planet Earth.” It’s an inspirational, mesmerizing, breathtaking experience that reminds us that nothing is more impressive than the natural world.

Planet Earth: Six-Disc Special Edition was released on Blu-ray on October 4th, 2011
Photo credit: BBC Earth

Synopsis:
The greatest Blu-ray release of all time just got even better, newly encoded to take advantage of recent innovations in Blu-ray technology and with over seven hours of bonus features for the first time ever!

Planet Earth has been the must-own Blu-ray series since it took the world by storm at the beginning of the high definition era. It garnered uniformly glowing reviews, won four Emmy Awards, including Best Nonfiction Series and Best Cinematography, and nothing made a high definition television look as mind-blowing as Planet Earth on Blu-ray. But there were no extras on the first Planet Earth Blu-ray. Now, the picture is even more crystal clear and stunning and the collection is packed with extras! From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, Planet Earth has never looked this incredible.

Prepare to be overwhelmed again by the beauty and majesty of Planet Earth on Special Edition Blu-ray.

Special Features:
o Four New Bonus Programs:
·Great Planet Earth Moments
·Snow Leopard: Beyond The Myth
·Secrets Of The Maya Underworld
·Elephant Nomads Of The Namib Desert
o Frozen Planet Sneak Peak
o Producer Commentary
o Music Only Viewing Option
o Eleven Production Video Diaries
o Planet Earth: The Future

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com