Using the most advanced technology and methods in film making, EARTH takes the audience on a tour around the planet we live on, but know so little about.
Narrated by Patrick Stewart, the documentary takes us on a global journey into the lives and plight of three separate animals on different sides of the Earth. We meet a polar bear family in the Arctic who struggle to find food before the ice begins to melt in the spring. We are then taken to the Kalahari where we encounter an elephant other and her calf on a dangerous trek through the desert to find water. And finally, we are introduced to a humpback whale mother and her newborn calf as she struggles to keep her child safe from danger as they begin their 6,000 km migration from the warm seas of the equator to Antarctica.
These scenes occur every day of every year, and are now being played out to us. Most of those who are witnessing this for the first time in their lives cannot help but feel moved. Earth shows us how every creature’s, including humans’, fate lies within the hands of the Sun, and as the planet continues to get warmer, the lives of these animals becomes more difficult.
Earth has proven itself to be perfect example of what a documentary should stand for; a realistic gate way into situations that happen away from what we see or are familiar with, and educate us on how and why these events occur. This documentary shows us how unique, important, and above all, amazing this planet is, and you cannot help but fall in love with it. And yet, we are slowly but surely destroying it with the demands we make on our planet, our every day way of life has dramatic affects on the lives of the animals we see in this film. This is not a fictional tale. The pictures are not CGI. Everything on that screen is a hundred per cent real. Everything you see is what is happening on this planet at this very moment, and in a non sensationalist and bias way, Earth shows to us how climate change is affecting these animals’ way of life in a beautiful way that moves you, but also makes you take notice.
The events and landscapes are filmed beautifully, it is as if you are seeing this planet for the very first time. One is in awe at the fact that the landscapes that graced the screen were not created using digital effects, but where filmed on this very planet. Using state of the art time lapse photography, images such as the blooming of flowers in spring comes to life so vividly without the use of CGI. The animals that are showcased are captured accurately in their natural environment with such intimacy, you find yourself feeling empathy for them as if the were characters in a film.
The accompanying soundtrack by composer, George Fenton, creates the dramatic atmosphere that brings the film to life. Ranging from heart pounding sounds to heart warming tracks, the music walks hand in hand effortlessly with the pictures, sweeping you along on this emotional journey.
This documentary is not aiming to scare you, or make you feel sad or guilty. It is a celebration of the animals, creatures, plants, climates and landscapes that make up the beauty and unique world that is our planet, but reminds the audience why we need to save it now.