Earth

Rating

Director

Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield

Screenplay

Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, Leslie Megahey

Length

96 min.

Starring

James Earl Jones

MPAA Rating

G

Review

When you watch the trailer for Earth, the first thing that may pop into your head is “why is this called Earth when it’s about three animal families?” Well, after watching the film there should be no doubt that the trailer is almost entirely misleading.

This is basically you typical nature documentary, one which plays almost identically to everything you ever watched in your High School science classes or when you caught originals or re-runs of Wild Kingdom. The sheer scope and beauty of the film is all that really sets the two apart.

The film opens giving an understanding of the Northern Hemisphere biome wherein a large amount of the world’s Oxygen is created. But this isn’t before we meet our first family: that of a polar bear, his mate and her two kids. I say “her” because we are told early that the male polar bears are very quick to abandon the home and forget about his family while the mother is forced to stay home and guide the kids towards the coast for their first meal. As narrator James Earl Jones’ deep bass voice intones, he’s just a “deadbeat dad”. It’s typical of the humor peppered throughout the film, but it comes off as a rather silly attempt to appease American audiences with situational humor without really providing any real insight into the surroundings. It isn’t the last we’ll be embarrassed for Jones having to read such execrable dialogue.

Of course, I was disappointed when I found out that Patrick Stewart would not be voicing the documentary and while I think he would have been a better choice than the more recognizable Jones, the colloquy wouldn’t have been any less grating.

But, we’re not with the adorable polar bear cubs for long before we’re taken to the biome, an ill-fated predator-prey chase and several other natural images sweeping down the world exploring the many different biological habitats it supports.

Along the way, we briefly meet an Elephant herd, including a blinded baby and his mother who get slowed down and separated from the rest of their compatriots. And, then we are also introduced to a mother whale and her calf as they make the long voyage south to Antarctica where they will feed.

The cycle of life style of the documentary is as tried and true as the earliest nature documentary, ostensibly Nanook of the North, a documentary that although not about animals, may as well be a study of the natural environment in which the Inuit lives the year of his life. And thus, everything from March of the Penguins to Earth of the modern nature documentaries examine a single year and no more, because that’s what has been established and that’s what is expected. But is it something we really require to see what’s going on?

Since most of nature exists within the cycle of birth, growth, life, death and rebirth, Going from Spring to Spring (or Winter to Winter in this case) makes sense. It’s an easy period in which to examine what typically occurs in that nearly-foreign environment called nature. But, what we’re losing is any concept of how these animals move from birth through all of life to death. Seeing only one year, we understand the custom, but we can never fully understand how one polar bear, whale or elephant might handle many different challenges throughout its lifetime. Such an event, while very difficult to document and requiring far more resources than many of these studios would ever wish to divert, there is an unexamined society and culture out there that films like Earth can only aspire to achieve.

Nevertheless, the scenery is breathtaking and what more can any of us hope for when going to see a film about nature? But, while I have to say it was enjoyable to an extent, I am rather disappointed in the overall result. I expected a more in-depth glimpse into the lives of these animals. I wanted to see more of their individual stories and hardships. I wanted one of the predator-pursued animals to actually escape for a happy ending. But, in the end, I got none of that. I understand why realism and the truth about the cycle of life is important, but sometimes, you just want to be entertained with a great story or at least for an underdog you can actually enjoy cheering on.

Review Written

May 20, 2009