Earth (2009)

VERDICT:
7/10 Duck Billed Platypuses

It was probably a good move on Disney’s part not to all call this movie Earth: Why It Sucks To Be An Animal. Because man, they got screwed.

Earth is a documentary that follows a family of polar bears, a tribe of elephants, and a pod of whales over the course of a year as they migrate across the globe in order to survive. That’s right, I knew it was called a pod.

I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure that Earth is essentially a highlights reel of the mini-series Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. I’ve while I’ve only seen about half of Planet Earth (the best thing to happen to Discovery since Cash Cab), a lot of the footage in Earth was very familiar. So with that being said, if you’ve seen Planet Earth, then you can skip this and go see Star Trek again.

The only big difference between the two is that Earth is narrated by James Earl Jones. Ever sit down to read a National Geographic and wish that Darth Vader could read it to you instead? All your wildest dreams have finally come true.

From a filmmaking standpoint, thinking about how the cameramen managed to get some of the shots in this movie will make your head spin. I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie and found myself uttering “Unreal” every fifteen minutes.

Earth is a movie that amazes more than it entertains. But that’s not a bad thing, just depends on what you’re in the mood for.

If you’re like me and inevitably find yourself falling asleep by the second rerun of the Planet Earth marathon, then this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. And if you hated earth science in school, or if you’re worried about walking into a movie where you’re going to have to learn about nature or get preached to about global warming, then put your mind at ease, sweet child. Earth isn’t out to bore you.

Earth is very much worth the price of admission and you’ll be disappointed if you don’t see it on a big screen.