Clicker: Riding the high
‘Life’
Sundays, 8 p.m., Discovery Channel
Thumbs Up
The word ‘groundbreaking’ would be the best way to describe the new 11-part documentary series ‘Life’ on the Discovery Channel. Entertainment and education usually don’t mix on TV, yet ‘Life’ manages to innovatively capture both aspects. ‘Life,’ a co-production for BBC and the Discovery Channel, grabs moments in nature that have never been captured on camera. The show delves into how Earth’s animals and plants function, live and survive on a planet dominated by humans.
Produced by the same people who introduced the world to ‘Planet Earth,’ the breathtaking 2006 nature documentary, ‘Life,’ narrated by Oprah Winfrey, sheds light on exotic life forms and allows the audience to get a close look at rarely seen species of animals, plants, insects, mammals and fish.
Each week, the documentary has explored amazing sights on land and in the sea. Since its debut on March 21, there have been brilliant shots of mammals in their natural habitat as they help their young, as well as images of millions of fish swimming in schools in the darkest parts of earth’s oceans. By far the most entertaining and stunning episode has focused on the creatures of the deep ocean. The exploration of deep-sea marine life thousands of feet below sea level is simply mesmerizing, but so is seeing how life is transformed and adapted to extreme levels of low light, low temperatures and scarce amount of food.
‘Life’ is one of the most visually pleasing shows that will air on TV this year. The technology used in making this documentary is spectacular. The close-ups of the smallest insects and specks of marine life are seen with the help of ultra high-definition photography, which magnifies images up to 500 times of what a human can. The result is awe-inspiring. The best way to watch this visual masterpiece is on a high-definition television. Seeing each detail of a droplet of water as a fish leaps out to catch another fish for food, or a lizard leaping in the air to catch an insect, is exactly why high definition was created. While all of the details have yet to be divulged to viewers, the audience is aware that the creators went to extraordinary lengths to get these jaw-dropping scenes.
Every episode has moments that have never before been seen on television, due to the rarity of many of the creatures that have been captured on film. ‘Life’ is the only show ever produced that has recorded on film killer whales working as a team to hunt seals in Antarctica or the Komodo dragon hunting down a water buffalo that is 10 times its size or a giant starfish feeding on a deceased octopus.
Critics and viewers have overwhelmingly fallen in love with ‘Life’ for its incredible cinematography, educational aspects and pure entertainment. It’s not too late to get into viewing this spectacular event, as repeats of previous episodes run throughout the week. The new episodes premiere every Sunday night at 8 p.m. Just like ‘Planet Earth,’ ‘Life’ is going to be a force to be reckoned at the Emmys. This documentary will be a trailblazer for how future nature filmmakers show astonishing views of earth’s creatures with high-definition recording technology.
Published on April 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm
