Customer Reviews

A Traveler's Guide to the Planets [Blu-ray]

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

 

 

This looks truly stunning - you have to watch it on a large screen TV otherwise you won't get the full effect. It's pretty amazing how much detail the special effects team managed to put into the graphics. There were a number of times I sat there and thought "wow" :)

Besides that, the programs themselves are quite informative and live up to the title - they act as a good general guide to the planets. Earth is not covered, but that's okay. I guess the producers are assuming you're already familiar with the third rock from the Sun. However, all the others - including Pluto - are included.

My only gripe - and the reason for the 4 stars, as opposed to 5 - is the lack of extras, although, to be fair I didn't expect a whole lot. There are two very short videos about the Sun and Moon - standard def, I think - and neither run more than five minutes long. It would have been nice to see how the graphics were created or to see some other behind-the-scenes stuff but I understand it costs money to produce that.

Anyway, if you want something to show off your Blu-Ray then this is a definite candidate. If you're new to the planets you'll find it fascinating and informative and even if you're not new to these alien worlds, you'll probably find the effects spellbinding.

Enjoy!

When will producers realize that not all humans have only a 2 second attention span? I looked forward to this title enourmously. I was going to drown in the glorious modern visuals of the planets and their myriad colourfull moons. Instead someone thought they were making an action movie for teenagers, and not a documentary. Machine gun scene changes did not allow the viewer one moment of visual pleasure. A total frustrating waste of pixels, and a crime. Because when is someone going to finance another (proper) go at the same title now ?

I really liked this because it tried to stick to
currently known facts about the Universe. If you have
watched other programs of the same type you know
that sometimes they spend all of the episode guessing
about what you will find on other planets etc...

I also like that they didn't present things in a
negative way. Example; When the Sun explodes in an
estimated 5 billion years the outer planets will lose
all of their mass and all that will remain are the cores
of once giant planets.

When possible I like to deal in known facts not
theories. Anyway, this is just the opinion of one
person. Overall, I found it enjoyable.

Oh Yea! Fanstatic, This has become one of my best DVD's. It will show just how nice a HDTV can look too!

I have seen many science shows on the planets, but this is one of the best. Excellent narration, really great computer animation, and easy-to-understand interviews with astronomers who really enjoy their work and area of expertise. A lot of them are women, which I think is a great inspiration to young girls who want to grow up and study the universe. A+

I own every season of "The Universe" on blu-ray, and if you wanted to decide what to get? Go for Season 1 of "The Universe" over this. It has its moments, and does look good on blu-ray, but those are the only strong points. It tends to get a little off-target, at times. The aforementioned "The Universe" tends to stay much more on topic with relation to the planets, and looks great on blu-ray, also. Skip over this unless you don't own that set on blu-ray.

Being a fan of Astronomy, I bought this figuring it would be both educational and entertaining. At times, it was mildly entertaining, but I certainly didn't learn anything new. Some of the interviews were reasonably interesting, but the narration was rather boring and had a "boilerplate" feel to it. Actually, the whole series felt that way-like the general script was written, and they just filled in the blanks for each planet. After a while, I found myself fighting to stay awake. I think this is a good disc(s) for children, but not so much for adults.
On my 60" TV, the graphics were good, but nothing special. Again, at times seemed somewhat generic. This was particularly noticeable if you watched multiple episodes in a row.

This is an excellent trip to the planets as a travelog. Enjoy the trip as you view our family of planets. Highly recommended!