Customer Reviews

Cosmic Collisions

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This is an amazing series that gives the best scientific 'creation story' we have at this point in history. The CGI graphics of early earth are stunning and the quality of the program is first rate throughout. Not for the faint of heart though; the merciless violence of the universe is shown in all its fury here. I came away with a greater appreciation of the fragility of life and of how lucky we are all to be alive -- however short our lifespans may be -- in comparison to the 6+ billion year age of the Earth.

Don't be deterred by the other negative reviews given to this title. If you liked the Discovery Channel series "The Universe", then Cosmic Collisions is more of the same. The first episode covers asteroid impacts and the Giant Impact Hypothesis in that style. Episode two focuses on impacts which have occurred in our solar system, focusing on the Jupiter impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9, and what may have caused Uranus to be rocked to an almost 90 degree angle in relation to the other planets. Episode three covers the largest of collisions....galaxies. What will happen when the Milky Way eventually collides with the Andromeda galaxy?

While the 'Cosmic Collisions' episodes featuring the Earth, Solar Systems and Galaxies is interesting enough fare, it's the 'Prehistoric Disaster' episodes included on the second disc (the series was called 'Catastrophe' in the UK) that are worth the price of admission alone.

The Prehistoric Disaster episodes lay out what happened to the Earth during its initial formation, as well as how life arose on our planet. While the episodes don't specifically go into abiogenesis, the other information is quite good. Episodes cover the Giant Impact Hypothesis, plate techtonics, the Ice Age, and how the Earth has continually changed throughout time. A very well done series; without the grandiosity and "generated drama" found in American documentaries like "The Universe", etc. Sadly, the set does not include the fifth episode of Catastrophe "Survival Earth" which would cover from the extinction of the dinosaurs up to modern day - fair warning.

I caught these initially on Netflix streaming but was so impressed by the Catastrophe series, I had to pick it up on DVD.

This is not the Cosmic Collisions program shown at the Museum of Natural History's Planetarium. I should have believed the prior reviewer. The narrator for this DVD is not Robert Redford. I was going to return it but my kids liked the program. Graphics are OK.

The dvd "Cosmic Collisions" Amazon is advertising is not the same one they are delivering. They are advertising the Robert Redford 30-minute film being shown in planetariums around the world; they are sending out a 2-hour Discovery Channel program with the same name.