Planet Earth II 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
Score: 83
from 6 reviewers
Review Date:
Planet Earth II: a stunning, immersive 4K journey revealing nature's marvels and challenges.
Disc Release Date
True 4K
HDR10
DTS-HD MA
Video: 91
Planet Earth II's 4K UHD Blu-ray release showcases stunning, hyper-real visuals with HDR and WCG, making it a reference-quality demo for the format.
Audio: 83
Planet Earth II's DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio impresses with clear Attenborough narration & Zimmer's score, crafting an immersive, detailed natural world soundscape.
Extra: 67
Planet Earth II's Ultra HD Blu-ray set features captivating episodes and bonus 'Diaries' detailing the series' filming challenges, alongside unique wildlife behaviors across six discs, minus a digital option.
Movie: 91
Planet Earth II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is a breathtaking sequel exploring Earth's islands to cities in 4K, capturing remarkable wildlife behaviors and habitats.
Video: 91
Planet Earth II's presentation on 4K UHD Blu-ray showcases an unparalleled visual feast, setting a new benchmark for home entertainment. Filmed entirely in 4K resolution with a 4K Digital Intermediate, the documentary employs HEVC/H.265 encoding across two BD-66 discs, ensuring an impeccable level of detail and clarity. Displayed in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and mastered in 24fps, the series retains its cinematic aesthetics while optimizing color grading for High Dynamic Range (HDR), providing a truly immersive viewing experience. This technical prowess is matched with the use of various high-resolution cameras, including aerial drones and cutting-edge image stabilization techniques, bringing viewers closer than ever to Earth's diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants.
The series' video presentation benefits immensely from HDR and Wider Colour Gamut (WCG), enhancing the realism and depth of the imagery. The addition of HDR elevates the visual impact of sunlight filtering through forest canopies and the intricate details in nighttime scenes, while WCG enriches the palette, revealing a vibrant spectrum of colors within natural landscapes and wildlife. Details are so finely rendered that individual fibers on animals and minute textures in the environment are visible, creating a hyper-realistic effect that almost transcends the boundaries of traditional viewing paradigms. Contrast balance is impeccable, with deep, rich blacks and luminous whites contributing to the overall sense of three-dimensional depth.
Moreover, the Ultra HD presentation excels in demonstrating the sheer scale and diversity of Earth's geography. Aerial shots, a hallmark of BBC Earth documentaries, capture the vastness of landscapes with astonishing clarity, allowing viewers to discern individual leaves and branches from great distances. This clarity extends to scenes featuring animals, where the vivid, earth-toned hues of their habitats leap from the screen, and creatures are rendered with such immediacy and depth that they appear almost three-dimensional. Acknowledged as a reference-quality title, Planet Earth II on 4K UHD Blu-ray is an essential acquisition for anyone eager to showcase the capabilities of their home cinema setup, delivering a mesmerizing visual journey that celebrates the beauty and complexity of our planet.
Audio: 83
The audio presentation of Planet Earth II on its 4K UHD Blu-ray edition, delivered in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, elegantly complements the visual splendor of this celebrated documentary series. With meticulous mixing and mastering overseen through a Denon AVR-X7200WA AV receiver paired with a 5.2 speaker setup, it maintains a professional grade of sound quality that enriches the viewing experience. The lack of an object-based immersive audio track, such as Dolby Atmos, might be seen as a missed opportunity for enhancement; nonetheless, the precision and depth of the existing 5.1 soundtrack are undeniably impressive. The orchestration of the audio elements—with Sir David Attenborough's clear and focused narration taking precedence, brilliantly scored sections by Hans Zimmer, and a rich array of natural soundscapes—creates a multi-dimensional auditory experience that fully engages the senses.
The mastery in audio design is evident in the way it balances subtlety with immersion, using the surround channels to envelop the listener in environmental sounds from the natural world. Species-specific calls, atmospheric conditions, and dynamic events like the tumult of a locust swarm are expertly placed across the soundstage, ensuring a cohesive and continuous sense of place. The LFE channel is employed with restraint but effectiveness, supporting scenes of dramatic intensity without overwhelming the overall mix. The soundtrack adeptly navigates between moments of tranquility and bursts of activity, making extensive use of the soundscape to draw viewers deeper into each unique ecosystem featured across the globe.
Despite some criticisms regarding the mix being somewhat front-heavy and the bass not always reaching earth-shaking levels, these aspects do not detract from the overall quality and effect of the audio presentation. The choice to focus on clarity and atmosphere over flashy audio gimmicks serves the documentary well, aligning perfectly with its mission to inform and immerse rather than simply astonish. The audio mix is a triumph in its right, demonstrating that comprehensive attention to detail can result in a sound field that is both naturalistic and compelling, capable of transporting viewers right into the heart of Planet Earth II’s breathtaking environments.
Extras: 67
The "Planet Earth II" 4K UHD Blu-ray set not only dazzles with its mesmerizing visuals of Earth’s landscapes and wildlife but also enriches the viewer experience with its comprehensive extra features. Complementing the six breathtaking episodes across two UHD discs, a separate Blu-ray disc houses the "Planet Earth II Diaries". This 54-minute documentary, narrated by the venerable Sir David Attenborough, offers a deep dive behind the scenes, showcasing the extraordinary efforts and innovative technologies employed by the production team to capture the series' stunning imagery. Viewers gain insights into the challenges of filming in remote locations, the patience required to catch pivotal moments, and the advancements in camera technology that make such an ambitious project possible. Significantly, this additional content bridges the gap between just watching the series and understanding the colossal endeavor behind its creation, enhancing appreciation for the sheer determination and creativity involved.
Extras included in this disc:
- Planet Earth II Diaries: A compilation of behind-the-scenes featurettes narrated by Sir David Attenborough, revealing the filming challenges and innovative solutions applied across different episodes.
- Introductory Trailers: Trailers for "London Road", "The Hunt", and Tauck's Earth Journeys nature tours, providing a glimpse into other BBC productions and adventures that await.
Movie: 91
The BBC's "Planet Earth II," arriving a decade after the monumental success of the original "Planet Earth" series, stands as a paragon of nature documentaries, pushing the envelope once again with its incredible foresight into the use of cutting-edge 4K and HDR technology. This series catapults viewers into an immersive exploration across various stunning landscapes of our planet - from the secluded islands teeming with unique wildlife to the bustling cities that have surprisingly become sanctuaries for some of the most adaptable creatures. Each of the six approximately fifty-minute episodes, namely Islands, Mountains, Jungles, Deserts, Grasslands, and Cities, unravels the extraordinary lengths to which life on Earth goes to survive and thrive.
Through BBC's impeccable cinematography, we're granted a front-row seat to witness remarkable instances of animal behavior, many of which have been captured on film for the first time thanks to advancements in filming technology such as drones, heat-sensitive rigs, and specially designed infrared camera traps. This sequel not only continues the legacy of its predecessor in offering breathtaking visuals but also introduces us to the harsh realities faced by our planet's cohabitants. The series boasts unforgettable scenes, including baby iguanas' first perilous journey to the ocean, snow leopards navigating treacherous terrain, and the ingenious survival tactics of desert dwellers. Sir David Attenborough’s authoritative and at times poignant narration elevates the series, blending suspenseful storytelling with a gentle call to action for conservation.
Moreover, "Planet Earth II" distinguishes itself from other nature documentaries by emphasizing the resilience and adaptability of animals in the face of dramatically transforming habitats. The series not only marvels at nature's beauty but serves as a timely reminder of humanity's role in safeguarding our planet's future. It explores how urban environments have become unlikely refuges for certain species, showcasing both the innovative survival strategies these creatures employ and the inadvertent challenges they face due to increasing human encroachment. Despite these obstacles, Attenborough's narration instills hope, suggesting that coexistence is possible if we actively choose to respect and protect our natural world.
Total: 83
Planet Earth II, a sequel to the acclaimed original, has elevated the documentary format to new heights both in content and technical achievement. This six-part series delves into the rich tapestry of life across our planet's varied environments—from islands and deserts to cities, showcasing the extraordinary ways animals adapt to their habitats. The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation, lauded for its pristine image quality, leverages advanced filming techniques, 4K resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR), and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) to present these breathtaking landscapes and wildlife behaviors in unparalleled clarity. Coupled with a pristine DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and behind-the-scenes diaries, this release not only glorifies the beauty of our world but also serves as a seminal reference for enthusiasts looking to showcase the capabilities of their home theater setups.
The series does more than mesmerize with visual splendor; it thoughtfully addresses the impacts of human expansion on natural habitats, culminating in a stirring exploration of urban wildlife adaptation. It's a compelling narrative that juxtaposes the burgeoning conflict between civilization and nature, yet offers a glimpse into potential harmonious coexistence, as beautifully exemplified by Singapore's Garden by the Bay. This thematic depth reinforces Planet Earth II not just as sightseeing but as a profound commentary on our planet's resilience and fragility.
In conclusion, Planet Earth II on 4K UHD Blu-ray is an epic symphony of visual wonder, technological prowess, and poignant storytelling. Its portrayal of nature's majesty, paired with its cutting-edge presentation, makes it an indispensable addition to any collection. It transcends being merely a documentary series to become an immersive experience that rekindles our connection to the natural world, making it an essential acquisition for both aficionados of high-quality documentaries and proponents of 4K technology. Whether as Sir David Attenborough's potential swan song or a testament to the advancements in documentary filmmaking, Planet Earth II is a hallmarked journey through the natural beauty our world offers.
avforums review by Steve WithersRead review here
Video: 100
The resolution is such that it's easy to spot shots that have been blown-up and cropped, presumably because the cameramen couldn't get as close as they would have liked or perhaps dared, however for the...
Audio: 100
As a result the soundtrack to Planet Earth II is a superb example of the sound designer's craft, with a mix that captures the essence of the natural world whilst still emphasising certain sounds to tell...
Extras: 80
Each of these six short 10 minute featurettes was included after the broadcast of the episode they relate to, in order to get the running time up to an hour and this is replicated on the Full HD Blu-ray...
Movie: 100
This sequence is a masterclass in the use of editing and music to create nail-biting suspense, and it's easily one of the best natural history sequences ever created....
Total: 100
A brilliant series and a 'must-have' disc for anyone wanting to show off 4K and HDR Planet Earth II isn't just a fantastic wildlife documentary series, it is also a technological tour-de-force that uses...
Blu-ray.com review by Michael ReubenRead review here
Video: 100
Whether tracking a family of Rocky Mountain grizzlies as they search for food across snow-covered expanses (Episode 2), tracking a family of ibex descending a perilous peak in search of water (also Episode...
Audio: 100
All of these effects are seamlessly integrated with David Attenborough's narration, which floats authoritatively over the front center, and with the orchestral score by Jasha Klebbe and Jacob Shea (with...
Extras: 100
The familiar style of the Planet Earth series is displayed in each featurette, and the major difference is the appearance on camera of producers, photographers and other crew, all of them braving hardships,...
Movie: 90
In the barren, volcanic islands of Galapagos, marine iguanas have been forced to find food in the ocean, but their ingenuity allows a raft of other animals to survive - including deadly racer snakes....
Total: 50
From that perspective, the decision to devote the final chapter to "Cities" is noteworthy, as it charts some of the unexpected adaptations created by the narrowing space between civilization and nature....
The Digital Bits review by Bill HuntRead review here
Video: 100
The 4K video is presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and includes a combination of regular footage, time-lapse photography, and macrophotography....
Audio: 85
Attenborough’s narration is presented in clear and inviting tones, and a nice bit of music washes over you at appropriate times, at least some of it composed by Hans Zimmer....
Extras: 75
The only bonus feature is a behind-the-scenes documentary on the BD, also narrated by Attenborough, which reveals the extensive production effort and some of the tricks used to make this series....
Movie: 100
Of course, host David Attenborough and the BBC’s Natural History Unit had been making nature documentaries for many years, but this was the first time such a series had been filmed and presented in high-definition....
Total: 90
One of the great tragedies of modern technological civilization is that we’ve lost touch with our connection to the natural world....
High-Def Digest review by M. Enois DuarteRead review here
Video: 100
Some of the most extraordinary moments and shots are those involving the birds and lizards because the close-ups reveal the ultra-fine filaments in individual feathers and each rugged, jagged bump in every...
Audio: 100
With much of the activity contained in the front soundstage, imaging feels marvelously broad with a spacious, welcoming sense of presence throughout....
Extras: 20
Planet Earth II Diaries (HD, 54 min): A six-part making-of piece made up of interviews and tons of BTS footage....
Movie: 80
But the follow-up stands on its own and serves as an excellent companion piece, a continuation of the original's epic intent with even more stunning photography of our planet's fellow cohabitants surviving...
Total: 80
Keeping to the theme and spirit of its predecessor, the six-part series comes with more remarkable, stunning photography of animals while watching them survive some of the world's most hostile and perilous...
AVSForum review by Ralph PottsRead review here
Video: 100
Resolution is impeccable as the vastness and scope of the recorded elements offers lucid, three-dimensional acuity that is extraordinary....
Audio: 86
Han Zimmer’s music has appreciable top-end air, smoothly rendered instrumentation, and discerning focus as its primary elements are delivered through the front speakers with low-level rear-channel ambience...
Extras: 80
The production team tracked them through the flooded forest to get the first glimpse of these dolphins in the wild....
Movie: 100
Journey to the four corners of the globe to discover the extreme forces that shape life in each of these iconic landscapes, and the remarkable ways animals manage to overcome the challenges of surviving...
Total: 92
is an immersive exploration of the islands, mountains, jungles, grasslands, deserts, and cities of the world, as seen through remarkable footage that follows some of our planet’s animals/creatures to places...
Why So Blu? review by Brian WhiteRead review here
Video: 100
Now with just those examples alone visualize how stunning and vast those landscapes would appear in the clearest 4K presentation known to man and you’ll have a pretty good idea how much this one rocks...
Audio: 80
It’s like the filmmakers chose to make this a much more subdued experience rather than give you the raw unfiltered experience of what it would have been like in the particular nature scenes playing out...
Extras: 50
For the DVD and Blu-ray sets, these are 10-minute bonus clips at the end of each episode and for the 4K UHD one here, this is all housed on a separate Blu-ray disc found under UHD disc #2 in the case....
Movie: 80
Total: 90
Like I said up above your results and mileage may vary with this series, but there’s no denying the luscious, fine eye candy that Planet Earth II is on the 4K Ultra HD format....
Director: N/A
Actors: David Attenborough, Gordon Buchanan, Chadden Hunter
PlotIn this visually stunning natural history documentary series, the world's various habitats and their unique wildlife are explored with breathtaking detail. From the most remote islands to the harshest deserts, the densest jungles to the highest mountains, the series provides a vivid portrayal of animals living in contrasting environments. The focus is on the remarkable strategies these creatures develop to survive in their respective domains, illuminating the resilience and adaptability of life on Earth. Each episode is a celebration of the planet's biodiversity, capturing rare and intimate moments from the animal kingdom's daily struggle for existence.
The narrative takes viewers on a journey through a variety of Earth's ecosystems. The engrossing cinematography delves into the life of animals like the snow leopard, which thrives in the high altitudes of the Himalayas, and the gelada, an Ethiopian monkey with a complex social structure. The show does not shy away from the challenges animals face, including human influence on the environment and the relentless competition for resources. Alongside these stories, the series also highlights the beauty and spectacle of natural events, such as the dramatic seasonal changes and mass migrations that dictate the rhythm of life for many species. Through its examination of the natural world, it implicitly makes a case for conservation by showcasing the intricate web of life that spans our blue planet.
Writers: N/A
Release Date: 18 Feb 2017
Runtime: 298 min
Rating: TV-G
Country: United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, United States
Language: English, French