Customer Reviews

Galapagos [HD DVD]

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This Blu-ray DVD has not had the hype that the Planet Earth series has had, but it rivals the series even within its limited content and definitely surpasses it in sound/editing.

This BBC series is broken into several episodes, all of which are well balanced with scientific information and amazing visuals of the Galapagos. Some episodes focus more above sea, others below, and yet others on the human interface with the islands.

The narration is top notch and the sound effects and music are beautiful - combined they really make this DVD shine. You definitely get a lot of bang for the buck on this DVD because it is a highly polished production.

I waited a long time to see this special on the National Geographic Channel, and I wasn't disappointed. Don't let the nearly three hours scare you because this is very well worth it.

This is by far the best documentary I have seen...EVER. They did a wonderful job at looking at land, sea, and air creatures, giving all of them equal time. They explain Darwin's visit very well, and the video is pristine. You truly believe you are there when you watch this.

As I said earlier, don't let the three hours scare you. It may seems to drag on in some places. Believe me though, it is worth every minute of it. It's sad to know that humans are destroying places like that. If anything, this documentary will show the world that these creatures are actually WORTH keeping around.

Three part documentary series. National Geographic and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)commission.

Visually stunning. You will be easily immersed into Galapagos.

The audio mix on Galapagos is a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track (448 kbps)

Building a documentary collection? Don't miss this!

Nice Blu-Ray transfer.

Narrated by actress Tilda Swinton.

Hmmmm....what can I say?...I think Planet Earth is over-rated. I like Galapagos more than Planet Earth. It is shorter (one disc), but the contents are just stunning. The HD quality of this disc is of a higher level than Planet Earth-it is simply marvelous and breathtaking. In terms of video quality, Planet Earth gets an 8, but Galapagos deserves a 10. The sound quality is awesome; the narration is perfect; the contents are mind-blowing. I don't care about the theory of evolution, creationism, or anything else. This disc tells the story as is: the beautiful islands, the wonderful life forms, and all the stunning display of mother-nature. I love this documentary.

This DVD will transport you to the wonders of the Galapagos. The documentary provides viewers with in depth commentary and footage that will certainly bring the destination closer to you. Image quality and footage are superbly filmed, and Tilda Swinton's soothing voice & pitch set the right tone for an amazing destination.

Wildlife footage has been captured in an unbelievable way; not only from a visually entertaining point of view, but also from a detailed point of view. Loved the scenes where giant tortoises are featured, marine iguanas feeding, blue-footed boobies displaying, albatrosses courting, and the only-tropical penguin on Earth fishing underwater. The volcanic eruption footage is also remarkable for its quality. For viewing purposes, the larger the screen the better.

We went to the Galapagos in May 2006 for nine days and it was an unbelievable experience. We used Adventure Associates in the US, and also Ecuador's Metropolitan Touring. This dvd will remind us constantly of the powerful message the islands left upon us. We asked for "what is the best time to go", and we understand that tourism is managed year-round. We were advised that in the summer months, Easter, Xmas and New Year's, finding space can be challenging, but in months like April, May and early June, finding space is easier, and that wildlife is at its prime due to the transition months between one season and the other one. They were SO right! We saw so many incredible things both on land and underwater (weather was unbelievably perfect too!). We noticed larger vessels offered greater amenities, onboard options, and their level of Naturalists' environmental interpretation is excellent. We are making arrangements to go back again with friends in early June 2007, and will give them this dvd as a gift.

Back to the dvd, the sound quality is perfect and the low price of $14.99 is very affordable. This is thus far the best comprehensive documentary we have seen about the Galapagos, and it will not be a disappointment. I have purchased other documentaries, and although they were good, this one remains our favorite. Another hard-to-find dvd is NG's "Galapagos, Land of Dragons", but was never released in dvd format, just vhs. You know what happens with vhs tapes after playing them twenty times. The dvd case has easy access to the dvd itself, and the different menus are easy to navigate through. The only con is that it brings just the audio program in English. It'd have been great to add Spanish and German.

All science teachers and libraries should have it. You will not be disappointed with this dvd. Hope you can visit this extraordinary destination.

I bought this dvd to show to my class before I started the lesson on evolution, and I found it very helpful. The documentary is nearly three hours long, but it is beautifully photographed and filmed, and it made the somewhat dry topic of evolution seem interesting to my students. Although there is mention of Charles Darwin's famous journey, the documentary itself does not go into much detail about 'natural selection,' 'genetic drift,' or 'speciation,' but instead sort of lets the islands speak for themselves, so to speak. By showing the 13 different islands, with their explosive creation via volcanoes, vastly different terrains and environmental conditions, the idea of species with a common ancestor adapting to their new surroundings via natural selection became more believable for the skeptical students.
The documentary predictably focuses some of its time on the famous tortoises and volcanoes, but also films the large variety of reptiles, birds, and fauna of the islands, including, of course, Darwin's finches. The harsh environmental conditions (little to no fresh water, explosive and unpredictable volcanoes, long lasting droughts) are vividly depicted.
The bad thing about the Galapagos Islands is that the film noticeably drops in interest and appeal after about two hours. The last third of the film gets kind of boring and repetitive -- how many volcanic "hotspots" can we hear about before getting the picture?
Highly recommended for biology teachers, although I wouldn't show this video to younger students, because the material is a bit complex and there are some scenes of violence between animals that might be disturbing.

This DVD had beautiful photography and covered all of the bases regarding this island chain, and the role it played as the basis for evolution. One disappointment was that this is not one single documentary, it is a series of three separate segments. At the beginning of each, there is a similar overview of the islands, their geological history, and recreations of Darwin pondering the wildlife there. The introductions even share some of the same shots, such as the same tortise yawning. I wish this DVD could have been one single documentary without the redundancy, and I wish it could have extended beyond the basics, but otherwise it was nice.

Having bought, and viewed planet earth 3 times, I found this HD DVD to be of equal, excellent, quality. The BBC represent the pinnacle of educational viewing on the planet in terms of content and execution; usually. This one is a 4 star and here's why:

I felt that the Galapagos series was 2 episodes stretched into 3, spoiled I feel, by some of this content having been very similar to footage found on planet earth.

My advice would be watch this one first, then planet earth. This is why I only give it 4 stars.

If you can buy it on HD DVD. I own both players and my 3rd gen Blu Ray exhibits all manner of artifacts when there is action/motion that the HD A20 does not. It's a shame sony seem to be winning the hi def war, their product is not mature, even now..

Transformers might be a flashier title to show off your Hi Def setup to your drooling neighbors, but Galapagos will blow them away. Short of buying the "Planet Earth" box set, I have yet to see images on any other HD disc that are as pristine as these. The "Beeb" knows how to do it right. Of course, your taste will dictate as to how much you enjoy documentaries such as these, but you couldn't get a better look at nature without being there live.

There are a number of related documentaries on the market, including a Kenneth Branagh-narrated IMAX film (Galapagos (IMAX)) and a personal journey with Richard Dreyfuss (In the Wild: The Galapagos Islands with Richard Dreyfuss), both produced in 1999. However, if like me, you have been enamored with the BBC's extraordinary Planet Earth series designed for high definition (aired here on the Discovery Channel), then you will find yourself equally drawn to this 2007 DVD of a three-part 2006 BBC series on the mythologized Galapagos Islands. Even though the scope is not nearly as ambitious this time, the result is almost as enthralling given the plethora of exotic, endemic species surviving on this isolated archipelago of nineteen volcanic islands. I was fortunate enough to tour the Galapagos on a schooner several years ago, and I can assure you that the outstanding visual quality of these programs captures as much of the distinctive flora and fauna of the islands as possible on the DVD.

Aired stateside on the National Geographic Channel, the set consists of three fifty-minute programs. The first, "Born of Fire", provides a vivid archeological history of the islands and shows how several of the most unusual species originated there and learned to cohabitate with each other. The second program, "Islands That Changed the World", looks at man's imprint on the islands, for better or worse, with an obvious emphasis on the work of Charles Darwin as he developed many of his theories about evolution based on his sightings here. It does take on the feel of a scholastic film with recreations of historical figures and events, but they do provide helpful context. The last is "Forces of Change", which forecasts the future with some coverage of the global warming issues but more of the focus on man's burgeoning presence on the islands and what is currently being done to maintain the natural environment.

Unlike Sigourney Weaver's overly controlled narration on the U.S.-released version of Planet Earth, actress Tilda Swinton imbues a greater sense of genuine enthusiasm over the dramatic images in this version. What is inarguable is the stunning cinematography, whether it's the satellite photos of the islands or the near-poetic movements of the animals spotlighted, for example, the first flights of the baby albatrosses, the dexterous swimming of the flightless cormorants, the multitudes of marine iguanas randomly spewing sea water from their lungs, and the proud ballooning of the red-bellied frigatebirds. There is a surprising lack of real scientific data which could have made the environmental reports that much more enlightening. You also have to tolerate some repetitiveness between the programs since they were aired at separate times. Regardless, this is nature programming at its finest, especially for those mesmerized by the particular idiosyncratic pleasures of the Galapagos.