Rating: 
Summary: A Flawed Masterpiece
Review: Seas of Life contains some of the most astonishing cinematography of the ocean that has yet been captured. The original orchestral score is powerful and uplifting, and represents a good fraction of the production's emotional impact. Attenborough's narration is lucid and engaging. It is only in the post-production stage that Seas of Life starts to reveal its flaws."Ocean World", the first installment, is a stunning overview of the series. If you decide to purcahse only one of these discs, this is the one to choose. There are images herein that will haunt you long after you've put the disc away. The production team's gift seems to be to be able to find massive numbers of one kind of creature gathered in one place. Many such scenes are presented, and each is stunning. New images from the deep ocean are shown in "The Deep", and this is the series at its mosts awesome. "Coral Seas" is probably the low point, since, while beautiful, it suffers from the worst of the series' flaws (see below).
Of note to parents: there are two very frightening scenes in the first episode (one of which is repeated in "Coastal Seas"), and I recommend you watch before letting any sensitive youngsters join in. And now to the flaws. The producers made some strange choices which detract from the series' power. Each segment, and some more than others, have been augmented with oddly chosen and jarring sound effects, trick photography and computer-generated animations.
These techniques are used to great effect in many of the sequences, but in others are markedly deleterious. We see deep-sea bioluminescent creatures that are given "beep" noises when they display. We are shown coral growing at an accelerated rate, but are not told that this is a computer enhancement. In "Seasonal Seas" we see bryozoans emerging from their casings to a ridiculous "sploit" sound.
The fact that these augmentations are annoying is excusable, but what is not excusable is that the viewer has no idea when a particular sound or image reflects reality, or is the figment of some over-zealous post-production technician's imagination. A case in point is the waving arms of a basket star shown in "Coral Seas": I am fairly certain that basket stars cannot move that quickly, but from this video I would have no idea. I think many viewers will come away misinformed.
Such trickery is unacceptable in a production that purports to be a documentary, and detracts from the BBC's strong history of realist programming. Still, even with these flaws, Seas of Life is a masterwork. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Sir Attenborough is very good but
Review: the camera work is phenomenal and is generally edited very well -- in the behind the scenes extra you see how much inactivity the crew had to sit through to get the final footage. David Attenborough is his usual self, soft spoken and easy to understand while being informative. the series as noted deals with different segments of the ocean from the beginning Ocean World (a general overview) to the Coasts (as he saids, the most dynamic) and i suspect if you have even a remote interest in marine life there is something in this series for you. my favorite is disk two with Open Ocean and The Deep; not coincidently, i find these two to be have the best cinematography. the images of marlins and tunas exploding through a huge tightly packed school is remarkable until hear Attenborough announces 'they have attracted a giant' and a whale materializes out of the blue depths. this entire series is shot in enhanced resolution so most of the footage is very sharp -- but none more so than in The Deep (with the black background and the lack of suspended particles); it seems unreal in clarity. deep water footage is harder to get due to the specialized equiptment necessary to withstand the immense pressure so i shouldn't have been surprised to see something completely new... Attenborough takes you to what looks to be underwater lake -- it's water of the highest salinity and is denser than surrounding waters so it kind of collects like a lake -- this is described in greater detail in one of the behind the scenes features. just astonishing. i've watched this series several times and really enjoyed each time; with the exception of Ken Burn's Civil War, i have never been so impressed a documentary series.
Rating:
Summary: its big and its blue
Review: The high quality footage of the blue planet is a joy to behold, theres some jaw dropping sequences, and the hard work and dedication which has gone into making this feature drips through from every frame.
there are faults, the sound effects are sometimes too obvious, and the fact that they stand out, obviously means they got them wrong, and the sound is nice, but is too overawing on occasion, the footage should have been allowed to take priority throughout, to cheapen it with silly sound effects is a real shame.
also there is way too much repitition of sequences, which again is a shame, with the vast ammount of footage they must have captured why do we hark back to the feeding frenzy baitball in almost every episode.
luckily the quality of the filming is such that all can be forgiven.
the extra features are a bit patchy, a couple of the interviews are mildly watchable and the making off feature is excellent, but would have liked to have seen much more of this and possibly some extra footage, the making off was excellent though, and definately one of the highlights of the whole series. the other extra features are pure filler though.
amazing and informative, the BBC has carried off a massively ambitious project very successfully.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been excellent... but badly flawed
Review: The information and narration in this set is excellent, as always for an Attenborough project. However, the presentation is badly flawed by excessive use of incredibly annoying sound effects. We are continually bombarded with swoops, honks, cunches, explosions, bleeps, whistles, and every other kind of sound imaginable. It is unnecessary and distracting. This DVD set should really have an option to turn off the stupid noises. Also, although the material is wonderful, there is a lot of repetition. There were several near-identical sequences of predators attacking a shoal of fish, and we lost count of the number of times we heard the phrases "rich nutrient soup" and "feeding frenzy". Still, there's nothing to compare to an Attenborough series. I just wish I could give this one the five stars it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Beautiful.
Review: There are many reasons to own this wonderful series on DVD, but one reason stands out: The Killer Whale/Seal Pup segment of the "Coasts" DVD. The Amazon.com main reviewer mentioned this scene in his review - and with good reason. It is THE most amazing piece of wildlife footage EVER captured on film - even surpassing the National Geographic special with the Great White Sharks breaching. If you need more reasons than that, the "Ocean World" DVD contains unbelievable footage of Sir David in a skiff right above a Blue Whale (the largest creature ever to have lived) along with a stirring segment about an orca pod pursuing a gray whale and her calf. All of my friends - who are decidely NOT nature buffs like me -were left speechless after seeing some of the segments in this set (particularly the aforementioned ones). The Life of Mammals DVD set by Attenborough is also terrific.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Beautiful.
Review: There are many reasons to own this wonderful series on DVD, but one reason stands out: The Killer Whale/Seal Pup segment of the "Coasts" DVD. The Amazon.com main reviewer mentioned this scene in his review - and with good reason. It is THE most amazing piece of wildlife footage EVER captured on film - even surpassing the National Geographic special with the Great White Sharks breaching. If you need more reasons than that, the "Ocean World" DVD contains unbelievable footage of Sir David in a skiff right above a Blue Whale (the largest creature ever to have lived) along with a stirring segment about an orca pod pursuing a gray whale and her calf. All of my friends - who are decidely NOT nature buffs like me -were left speechless after seeing some of the segments in this set (particularly the aforementioned ones). The Life of Mammals DVD set by Attenborough is also terrific.
Rating:
Summary: The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4)
Review: There is no naturalist as famous or as learned as Arrenborough. His is the best in the field and shows his superiority in this breathtaking and amazing show, i.e., The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4) DVD ~ David Attenborough. 5/5.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: There isn't a moment in these four DVD's that won't have you gazing in wonder and admiration at the effort and amazing footage captured in this series. Of all the DVD's I own, and that is no small number I assure you, this entire set never sits long enough to get more than a days worth of dust on it. I often watch an episode as I linger in bed waiting for sleep to overtake me. Equally as often, I have to switch it off so I can get sleep--it is that unendingly fascinating. No matter how many times I've watched it, the presentation and simply astounding events they have captured in this series always manage to keep my attention. To even try and relate what the hours of footage reveal would only do it an injustice. I won't even try and I'm sure others could describe it better than I. Let me say this, if you have never seen Blue Planet then you have been sorely missing out. It most certainly contains footage of the marine world that cannot be seen anywhere else. Not merely a few minutes here and there but nearly every minute of the series is unique and nearly unbelievable to behold. Yes, I realize that it sounds like I'm waxing over this set in glowing terms--and I am, but for good reason. Don't rent these, don't borrow them from a friend and certainly don't just wait around trying to decide if this set is for you. Just click the order button right now and make this set your own. After you do, I think you'll agree it is among the best documentaries ever created, and simultaneously, one of the best DVD investments you've made.
Rating:
Summary: Educational and Exciting
Review: This DVD set is more than your typical nature show. It has awesome footage of wonderful and weird animals, and answers many questions during the video. The whole set is amazing and well worth purchasing. It is organized in content and covers birth, feeding, mating, and death throughout the course of the film. I highly recommend this set for anyone who wants to experience the ocean from the comfort of their living room!
Rating:
Summary: BBC ACHIEVES EXCELLENCE!!!
Review: This incredible set is perfect for the whole family. narrator, David Attenborough does a brilliant job educating all on the wonders caught here in BLUE PLANET. The cinematography is astounding; crystal clear!!! I watch this all the time. The music is incredible...i even bought the soundtrack for the road!
If you are an ocean life enthusiest, this set is a must have. I am a critic, and this impressed me to no end. footage is to die for!!!
| 
