Customer Reviews

Sacred Planet

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I agree with the other reviewers that the stunning photography could have had a slower pace, and that much of it was obviously inspired by koyannisqatsi, and even moreso by the outstanding film Baraka, but I think they have missed the main point of this film, which is a chance to hear the wisdom of traditional human culture from some of the few people left who are living it. Each section of the film combines photography with a voiceover by someone from the local indigenous culture, native american, or amazon tribesman, or Thai villager, and I found this wisdom to be simple, heartfelt, and profound, a refreshing alternative to the hurried, worried life most of us lead, divorced from nature and from reality, wrapped up in self, status, and materialism. Does this make the film 'new age'? What if it does? This perspective is vanishing, as the film points out, as native peoples are assimilated into mass culture. This perspective is ancient- it provides a glimpse into the way most humans have lived and felt about their relationship with nature for many thousands of years. This perspective is also completely rational, much more rational than the way we now live, destroying other species and the environment itself in an attempt to sustain a way of life that any objective analysis shows we cannot sustain. I am not saying this as a soft hearted environmentalist- i am saying this as a professional ecologist who works a lot in developing nations. Our civilization is sick- it is destroying the environment while creating tremendous unnecessary human suffering. One of the illusions at the heart of this sickness is that the earth is here for us to exploit, and that man is separate from nature. This film gives native people a chance to tell us in their own voices how they relate to the earth. The film is never schmaltzy or melodramatic or righteous. It is straight talk from sane people immersed in an ancient culture of appreciation for life. Westerners, especially children, should be exposed to this perspective, to see that our way of life is not the only way, or even the best way, to live. The film delivers this message in a beautiful package that celebrates the beauty of natural environments. It is a perfectly enjoyable, benign, and inspiring way to spend 45 minutes.

Originally an IMAX film, a lot of the impressive cinematography is lost on the small screen, but that doesn't mean the impact is affected. Robert Redford narrates this amazing beautifully filmed documentary on some of the world's most fantastic places and creatures. Scenes of thermal waterfalls from Thailand edit to massive glacial mouths, air-spouting whales in Alaska, flying monkeys in Asia, exotic undersea life, razor tipped snow capped peaks and more. The sound is spectacular especially in 5.1 DTS with nature sounds mixed with subtle native percussion. Although it only lasts forty minutes and the screen is smaller, the special effects of accelerated photography matched against normal paced scenes makes for an experience far too short for its greatness. One could watch this repeatedly.

I agree with previous reviewer regarding that the scenes could last longer, but nowhere is a 15 seconds fading in-out (and, in any case, it's not a blank screen); it also may seem artificial in some parts, and new-age style in others... BUT... there are many images that I've never seen in my life on any documentary (in an incredible quality). If anybody gets bored with this (only 45 mins. in any case), well, you may not be suited for documentaries. The buddhas statues in Thailand, the monkeys in Borneo, the amazing trees in many places, the canyons, the crystal-ice... There's much more to be thankful for than to be angry with. As I said in the beginning, it should have been better if the scenes lasted longer, but that does not prevent me to give this four stars.
(Excuse my poor english, not my native tongue.)

SACRED PLANET (Disney) is an Imax production that extols the great beauty of our planet's exotic, remote and still unspoiled places. Narrated by Robert Redford, the awe-inspiring, globe hopping cinematography brings the majestic and diverse locations into our living rooms in ways we could never experience in person or with the naked eye. Aerial shots and time-lapse effects create a God's eye view that is in keeping with the referential tone of the narrative. Granted, much of this material is obvious and not new, but that does not make it irrelevant. It is a reminder that in many ways, the mystery of creation -- and perhaps the Creator -- is pressing down on us in all directions if we will just open our eyes.

Extras include a music video with bonus footage, a making of featurette and director's commentary.

This beautiful film will lift your spirits and transport you to another, greater reality. If you have a DVD that can "loop" a disc, and a plasma screen hanging on your wall, you might want to just let this one run with the sound down. Make your screen a window to the wondrous beauty of our amazing home planet.

I found this video boring. I was looking for a nature show but I could hardly keep my eyes open. Love Robert Redford though.

Inspiring and Thought-provoking! A beautiful presentation of the wonders of nature and challenging observations about what we must do to preserve the planet we are given as a gift.

i bought it for my 3 yr old son to learn from. not too educational for him,but the pictures are beautiful.

The film was beautiful, and I wish I had seen it on IMAX. I found myself gasping at certain scenes and my mouth hanging open. I just wish it was longer. The narratives were kind of useless... just a few words here and there, but overall, movie worth watching!

Excellent presentation for all ages. Educational product as well as entertainment. There should be more of these for the kids so learning can be enjoyable and fun while watching some of the marvels of the world.

The film and DVD is in the subgenre of "nature/anthropology movies" that compares civilized human societies to life in primitive societies, and where there are no characters or actors. Written information provided with the DVD states that the film lasts for about 40-50 minutes. However, this is not entirely accurate. The film was made in the following way. Each scene lasts for about 10-15 seconds. Between scenes is a ten second fade out and fade in sequence. This means that half of the time of the entire film (or DVD) is spent either fading out to pure white, or fading from pure white to another scene. The end result is that the entire film really lasts only 20-25 minutes. Particularly frustrating is some fine footage of a family of elephants trodding up a small river, where each river bank is lined with trees. What a nice image it makes. But just as soon as one begins to enjoy it, the movie fades out to white. Because the camera dwells for such a short time on all of the subjects, the film is consistently irritating. Far better films and DVDs in the same genre can easily be found. See, e.g., KOYAANISQATSI, or similar films available from National Geographic, the History Channel, or PBS. In filming natives in their rain forest, the director replaced the native garb with brightly colored red-striped loin clothes, apparently purchased from J.C.Penney's, from Target, or from Ross (Dress for Less). This is deceptive. Art is not supposed to be deceptive. The problem with this is that the film is geared to a young audience (children). Children are smart creatures, and they can readily detect when something is false. For the above reasons, the film deserves no more than one star.