Our Planet season 1 review: A deteriorating circle of life

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Jamie McPherson, Sophie Lanfear and Sir David Attenborough attend the “Our Planet” Special Screening With Sir David Attenborough at the Smithsonian National Museum Of American History on April 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Netflix)

BONUS EPISODE: BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR PLANET

This episode takes the viewers on a journey that the cinematographers undertook for some of the amazing footage we see in series. It gives a clear insight into the thinking of these experts and the difficulty of actually filming in the wild.

It shows the Our Planet cinematographers embark on their journey in the tropics, the icescapes and the high seas, and their expertise in carefully setting up their equipment to get the perfect shot but also to minimize any disturbances that they could potentially cause the animals. It goes into detail about the innovative use of drone cameras in capturing aerial shots of sea life, as well as the perils of shooting underwater at night; in this case, sharks hunting in the corals of French Polynesia.

Aside from the shark hunt, Our Planet features behind-the-scenes footage of the tragic walrus deaths, the rare Siberian tiger, the chase of the orangutans in Sumatra and the cleaving of a glacier face. This episode also shows how the rare footage of the interaction between a blue whale and her calf were taken.

It’s an emotional and nerve-wracking journey, and even includes footage from one failed expedition, which occurred owing to the unpredictability caused by climate change. Somehow, this only reiterates the urgency with which climate change needs to be dealt with, not helped by a population of people that chooses to believe either that climate change is natural or just unreal.

The series especially helps understand that climate change, while a natural phenomenon, in the form we see today is a problem. The rate at with which is happening is clear indications of human involvement, which makes it anything but natural, and also shows the dire consequences of this involvement.

Our Planet is a must watch for people, and though it’s been compared to documentaries like Planet Earth, the tone is that of warning rather than merely just passing on information on the cycles of nature.

What did you think of Our Planet? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!