Customer Reviews

Stephen Hawking's Universe

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me start out by saying that I read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and really enjoyed it. But, then what a sad disappointment this series turned out to be. One could turn off the picture and just listen to the audio and get about as much interesting information. I realize that Dr. Sagan raised the bar pretty high but the makers of this documentary didn't even seem to care. Watch video sequences repeated over and over - sometimes not even relating to the narration that drones on in the background. Squint hard to see what is going on in the darkly lit sets as the camera super-slow pans into something that is supposed to be significant...but really isn't. I watched the entire series just waiting for a sequence that would capture my imagination. It never happened. As for replay-ability? I defy anyone who have made it through the entire series to watch it again. Dr. Hawking deserves better.

This video series covers all the basic ideas of cosmology in an interesting and easy to understand manner, with a strong historical focus. The narration, describing this, is very interesting and well thought out. However, the visual aspect is appalling. Most of it consists of out of fucus shots of things that have nothing to do with the program, irrelvant images of star fields, shots of people walking around, shots of empty rooms and other irrelevances. When people are interviewed, they are often shown in very dim surroundings, making their faces hard to see. All in all, the visual elements are just hopeless and add nothing to the video. Towards the end, I didn't even bother looking at the screen but just listened to the audio. I lost nothing by doing this. All in all, Professor Hawking might as well have written another book.

Stephen Hawking's Universe covers all the important points in Cosmology, but when one buys a video documentary on the subject, one expects more than just lucid explanations by talking heads (or even a head that uses a computer to talk). I was disappointed that for all the good work put into the making of SHU, the visual component was so poor; why not just make it into an audio book instead? Most of the time, throughout the entire series, the same set of bland, information-free starfield images and lame optical tricks (we're not even talking cheap computer animation!) accompany narration of (relatively) deep, conceptual scientific ideas. The rare instances in which camera footage is included -- say, to show a scene at an earth-based telescope -- quench the viewer's thirst for visual aid only long enough to underscore the series' basic dearth of such resources. Better luck next time, Stephen.

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about the quality of this DVD collection before even seeing it. Being an owner of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series on DVD, and a great admirer of the man and his series, I must admit I had an inherent bias and felt that I would be hard-pressed finding anything else that was in the same league.

I was mistaken. This DVD collection presents the main points anyone should know about the universe. I say "main" due simply to the fact that this collection does not go into great detail on several topics, as does Sagan's Cosmos. It focuses on a limited field of topics (which is understandable, since it is only three discs) and explains them thoroughly. It is not brief, yet Hawking does not waste our time with "waffle". It is concise and does not err in explaining details correctly. Being of a science-trained background, I would like to take the opportunity of adding that I did not find anything questionable or dubious in the subject matter. (It was, after all, written and edited by Stephen Hawking.)

Viewers with no physics, or even basic science education, may find this collection slightly hard to understand in certain sections. That's not to say that the episodes need a Degree in Physics to be able to understand them either! A high-school level of Physics would allow you to comfortably understand everything that is said. Nevertheless, if you have no training in this area, do not fear... you might misunderstand one or two terms or concepts, but whole episodes do not focus on just one point, so you will not find any episode completely bewildering. (I would find this as a positive. The collection then serves as an educational set and may even influence the viewer to take-on personal study or research the topic more thoroughly. This in my opinion, can never be a bad thing, and thus the set becomes a more valuable item in one's DVD collection.)

There are times during the episodes when Hawking attempts to be witty. These are effective attempts and often "soften" the show's theory-based nature. At times, one might even say Hawking takes the opportunity to "brag" about his many achievements and accomplishments, which in my opinion all adds to the enjoyment of the show. The presenter of such a show needs a bit of personality, or else, dare I say, it becomes boring.

There are SHORT role-plays and interesting interviews mainly from American intelligentsia. Do not expect long and entertaining role-plays though. The episodes consist mainly of interviews and people (or Hawking) presenting facts or their opinions. (Those of you who have seen Sagan's Cosmos will know what I mean by "entertaining role-plays".)

Perhaps I AM a little biased when it comes to this type of show. It is always in my mind to keep comparing shows of this nature to Sagan's Cosmos. In this case, if I do, it does little harm. This is a well-produced series and I would give it a high recommendation. This series is best suited to people with a keen interest in the topic, those wishing to "brush-up" on their universal knowledge, or simply those shopping for an interesting (and educational) present to give their friends or relatives.

I thought that because of Stephen Hawking, this was going to be great (I wish I could see more of his direct work on the film). It was pretty bad. First it looked as if it was filmed through a very dark blue filter. It was very hard to see. I thought my tv was broken. Also, the same graphic of an exploding star is used from everything to supernovas and blackholes, it is quite irritating. The information is poor at best, it covered 1/100 of the infomation in A Brief History of Time, a very good book (I never saw the video). Don't buy this, it is not worth it, try to catch it on PBS if you are interested, or rent it from your library.

In General I agree with the negative reviews of this DVD. I had seen the PBS series and there is no doubt that the "text", the information on this DVD is of great importance for anyone. However the execution as a general interest TV series (meaning these DVD's) is greatly flawed. I have so far seen only the first episode on DVD and I already depise the the awful video. Only the shadows of people are visble. Close-ups shoes walking up stairs, bodies out of frame, all pieces that never build to a whole. In one of the most egregious examples of artifice (or just plain "operator headspace") a talking head (that means some person before the camera talks to someone off camera--as if in interview) is placed before an open widow with a strong ligt source of the sun shining on the villiage in the background from behind is CENTERED, and our subject (talking head) at far right barely in frame is, as some with photography experience can guess) is merely a shadow, so intentionally dark. It's like one of those shots were they intentially try to hide the speaker's identity. Our eyes wish to focus on the person speking, but it is so UNaestetic, and painful to focus using our eyes, that we naturally drift to the well lit background that has NOTHING to do with the words spoken. In fact the whole bloddy thing is DARK, intentionally, I believe. Yes, it is a style, but it is a LOUSY style: Distacting and UNaestetic. This is among the NOISIEST video transfers to DVD I have seen. No doubt due in part to the low lighting. Perhaps this was a compromise to the limitations of our dear Dr. Hawking, for he appears so very rarely, and when he does, the camera dawdles upon the meaningles disply of his voice synthesizer and other tricks to obsure his face. It seemed as if they didn't want to allow Hawking's face too much time on the tube, the implication that he is repulsive to the audience. He is NOT repuslive, and I would have LOVED longer shots of his face looking into the camera as the words are played. He does react. Also, many of the foreign scientists who speak do so in broken English that I and others feel breaks the pace and makes difficult to comprehend already weighty ideas. They should have spoken in their native language and then an interpreter's voice dubbed in later. I highly reccommend viewing the entire COSMOS with Dr. Carl Sagan FIRST. He provides and excellent foundation for grasping the NEW cosmological theories of the last 20 years on this DVD that picks up where COSMOS left off. Indeed Hawking's DVD explaination of the Doppler effect is ineffectual compared to the far supior use of video by Sagen in Cosmos. Perhaps it was the money. Don't forget that Cosmos was the MOST expensive TV series EVER at that time. They used state of the art effects and went all over the world for locations, and pefromed exercises with many props. and that Spaceship of the Imagaination was a lot of $$$$. They also had one of the BBC's best directing that series. At the time, BEFORE it aired, a lot of folks didnn't think the show would have mass appeal and that it would be an example of Public TV (specifically KCET, Los Angeles) folly. Well, we all know that it wasn't folly. It was revolutionary. But I don't think we will ever see another science series with a budget that was provided for Cosmos EVER again. Hawking's DVD for all the latest theories of the universe, but not much more.

I'd agree with another reviewer of this work that it does, in fact, lack the desirable element of the visual in its explication of what indeed are the truly profound, complex theories and concepts of cosmologists and physicists--but not only for the purpose of enjoyment but also to aid in the elucidation of inherently counter-intuitive ideas. That being said, I should say that as something of an obsessed dillitante on these subjects--time, universe, et al.--this collection is about as in-depth and informative as you will, to date, find anywhere.

It very well may be that Stephen Hawking is the greatest mind since Albert Einstein. The material on this DVD is nothing less than great, but falls short in the area of production, and presentation. I think most physics/science fans still hold all documentaries of this type, in comparison with Carl Sagan's: Cosmos.

With all fairness, the structure or style of the production, is more on the lines of a news documentary, with lots of interviews, a more mystery feel to the presentation. Editing seems a little ameture'ish, it would have been nice to leave out the sponsor slots, and the usual PBS station calls, these detract heavily from the entire experience really, even though they are done at the beginning and end of the episodes only. The musical score seems fitting, but don't expect any Vangelis like tracks, as in Cosmos. The nararator does a decent job, but personally, I would have liked to hear it more from Mr. Hawking himself, via his voice synthesizer. Of course that would have made it a longer DVD, but there could have been more graphical content to accompany the dialog too.

A good DVD set, that is packed with a wealth of knowledge, but killed by production. I suggest, If you haven't already, pick up Carl Sagan's: Cosmos.

I come to physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology as a layperson who is fascinated by the big questions of life. For me science fact far exceeds science fiction or fantasy. I cannot get enough.

I come to this whole exploration of science under the influence of Darwin, Nietzsche and Krishnamurti. To learn and understand beyond the narrowness and pettiness of the human experience. I think the human experience is infinitely enhanced, not diminished, when we see outside the box of what we have been told, beyond the truths and reality we accept without any deeper understanding than that this is what has been programmed into our brains and veins from cradle to grave.

This dvd is so layered and complex and filled with fantasic ideas and theories, that I'll surely watch it over and over again. The string theory concept, alone, is worth the price of this dvd. I had, also, purchased 'The Elegant Universe' when I ordered this dvd. The updated and added string theory perspectives add to what was said in Hawking's Universe. For me its the glue and unfolding of everything.

I wish I could be more technical but I'm too much of an infant in this arena. I seem to understand but find the words very difficult to explain the specifics of what was said. Each of the six parts goes into incredible depth. I would imagine even the experienced scientist must wrinkle his forehead when digesting the vast concepts big and small.

For me, the technology of dvd's and computers was made for this type of project. We, the layperson, can now have accessibility to a world otherwise locked up in laboratories or a chance viewing on PBS, Discovery or A&E.

I'm up to the second chapter, but its not for anyone who has read the book or is an amature. The pace the DVD sets is slow slow, you need to find other things to do while watching it. Narration is the slowest ever for a documentary, even when telling you history. I'm sure the technical detail is there, just not made interesting enough to keep me watching, which counts all kids and teenagers out as well (I'm 25).

I don't think I will watch them all, I don't have that much time, I will read the book again instead - much quicker.

I won't buy a PBS DVD/Video again, lots of advertising on the disc, sponsorship messages.