FILM REVIEW: BLUE PLANET II (series)

 

Yep, Dave Attenborough is back with another of his "wildlife/ain't this a wonderful planet" docs with this one concerning the oceans. We've gotten as far as episode 2 "The Deep" which is sublime. Fabulous imagery and colors, fascinating creatures practically no one has heard of (us!) and a nice non-lecture lecture. In this episode, life in the ocean depths is explored ending with a trip to the deepest part of any ocean on Earth: The Marianas Trench, nearly 7 miles down.

Those with small children may want to wait for them to get older. One of the basic rules on the planet: life feeds on life. The doc does not shy away from this. Critters get killed. It's how things work and this could be upsetting for those too young to understand the concept.

My only quibble is with the soundtrack which to my sensibilities contains wayyyy too many choirs of angels. Feels like either a bit of laziness or not particularly inspired artists.

Four out of four stars for the Cannabis crowd. Very cool stuff and we learned a lot!

Macropinna microstoma is a deep-sea ray-finned fish in the barreleye family Opisthoproctidae featuring a transparent head filled with fluid. This is an protection strategy that evolved so the fish can look upward for predators.

Available via Prime and trial subscription of Discovery channel. Also found on YouTube to rent.