Blue Planet: Seas of Life on DVD

The Blue Planet series quickly became a welcome addition to our DVD library when the first few volumes were released back in February.

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is a series of BBC documentaries exploring various parts of the oceans. Not only are they very entertaining, they're also (gasp!) educational.

By means of underwater cameras, and cameramen crazy enough to get in the middle of breeding and feeding "grounds," we get a close-up view of some spectacular deep sea events.

This particular volume focuses on Seasonal Seas and Coral Seas. The former examines the variety of creatures that inhabit certain parts of the ocean during certain times of the year. The latter centers on the different lifestyles of creatures that live on or in the corals.

Most fascinating is, of course, the close-ups of the underwater animals we've mostly only read about, and in many cases, never even heard of. There's something about a group of shrimp carrying away a starfish that's surprisingly interesting.

If you enjoyed previous volumes of the Blue Planet series, or are fascinated by the ocean (but have never been able to experience it), these documentaries are the best you could possibly hope for. We can only hope the BBC will make more of them.

This latest installment is presented exactly like the previous ones. It has a beautiful 16X9 video transfer, a Dolby Stereo track that sounds better than some 5.1 tracks, and some very interesting supplements.

Having these in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen is a real treat. I was expecting a full screen transfer with average picture, and instead got exactly what we snotty DVD reviewers want. The quality of the picture is excellent, especially when you consider that most of the footage is underwater. There's never a problem seeing the action, and there is very little grain anywhere to be found.

The audio is equally good, despite being only 2.0. David Attenborough's narration keeps things moving along nicely, while the sounds of the water and fish (and sometimes storms) fill the room effectively.

Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, and interview with producer Alastair Fothergill, a photo gallery and some neat fact files.

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
98 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) 16X9 enhanced, 2.0 Dolby Stereo
Produced by Alastair Fothergill

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