See over 90 minutes of some of the most startling wildlife photography ever to have been shown on television! The Blue Planet: Seas of Life features amazing new discoveries and photographic breakthroughs in two episodes: "... more »Open Ocean" and "The Deep." "Open Ocean": Endless blue stretches in every direction, this is the open ocean. In this marine desert there is nothing but the burning sun above and the blackened abyss below, yet here live many of the most spectacular predators in the ocean. Striped marlin, dolphin and the shearwater birds chase down large shoals of sardine and makerel. Survival in the open ocean depends upon, speed, cunning and agility. "The Deep": A place of mountain ranges, perpetual night, pressure extremes and cold and the weirdest life forms on our planet. Dive to the depths of the ocean, an eerie world where predators with teeth so large they can't even close their mouths, chase bioluminescent creatures of the deep. Discover the spectacular smoking chimneys of the hydro thermal vents. Go deeper down than you have ever been. 98 minutes« less
Martin Chung | Carson, CA United States | 06/06/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This disk is easily the finest of the Blue Planet offerings. Maybe this explains why this disk alone has a green cover. Tackling two very difficult and hard to film subjects, you will be awed by the grace and motion of the storytelling and cinematography. "Open Ocean", the first chapter on this disk, will amaze you with a sense of the grandness of the oceans like no other documentary before it. Imagine a 10000 strong school of fish being attacked from the bottom by dolphin and tuna; and from the top by seafaring birds. Not an easy thing to commit to film. The "Making of" trailer states: "We looked at what has been filmed so far, and tried to film what hasn't been done." They succeeded in spades. After sitting through many oceanographic documentaries, I naturally expected to see a cage-bound cameraman awaiting the appearance of a Great White or Blue Shark... or some shots of a group of placid reef fish. Well, after viewing the first 10 minutes (and picking up my lower jaw off of the ground), I realized that the beauty of this film lies in the professionality of the production. The cameramen have a knack for angles and natural presentation. Never once do you see a diver's air bubbles or feel that a "Person" is filming. For a brief moment, you feel like a fish and you are introduced into a world where you cannot naturally go. The second part, "The Deep", is even more engrossing. Close your eyes for a moment and envision the oddest creature that you can imagine. Surprise! There are stranger things living in the depths. Captured on film are an amazing array of critters that can only make you shudder in horror or gape in wonder at the elegance of their existance. One unfortunate, yet understandable bit is that computer graphics are used to a noticeable extent in this chapter. Considering that some of the fish have never been filmed before, and the scarcity of ambiant light, a few man-made liberties can be easily forgiven. The highlights include the footage of luminous creatures and a wonderous underwater lake (if this sounds like an oxymoron, simply buy the DVD and you will see that our imagination is comparatively bland in scope and vision to what is constantly being discovered.)"
Whoa!
J. Connor | Palm Desert, CA United States | 07/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Blue Planet's two episodes on this tape are the very best I have ever seen on the ocean's bowels and surfaces. The best episode here is "The Deep", which alone completely trashes Steve M's film "The Living Sea!" The Deep is ten times more amazing than anything shown in "The Living Sea". This episode takes you
in a submersible down into the dark depths of the planet. The creatures shown are amazing, including: Gulper Eels, rodlike fish, Anglerfish, Sixgill Sharks, and many more! The submersible even passes over a trench 4000 meters down in the deep ocean. It is amazing and sometimes frightening. Very much worth the expense of the entire video!
"Open Ocean", is also very exciting. The real highlights of this episode are the battles between different fish. There is ocean footage almost every second of the 45 minutes.
You will have to view this for yourself and find out how excilirating it really is!"
Wonder-full Viewing
Nemo | Chicago, IL United States | 05/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...Truth be told, the second set has no episode as stunning as the Deep Seas in the first set, or as beautiful as the Polar Seas. However, the four episodes match the first four in the depth of information offered, beauty of their photography (how often did I oscillate between "How beautiful!" and "How...did they shoot that?"), and the marvelous narration and production values.As with the first set, each disk has a ten-minute "making of" short, and an in-depth interview with a member of the production staff. Disk 4 also has an hour-long bonus program, "Deep Trouble", which describes how fishing is ravaging the seas. That alone is worth the price of the disk.I cannot recommend the four Blue Planet DVDs too highly. Buy them. Enjoy. Share with your family. Marvel at the beauty they show - and the superb craftsmanship with which they were made."
Amazing
Lionel Monod | New York, NY, USA | 01/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Really incredible images of the weirdest sea life ever seen. The footage of the faunal comunities of the thermal vent is particularly striking. A must see for anyone interested in sea life."
Simply Astounding
Ernest Kim | Hillsboro, OR USA | 05/17/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you or anyone you know has even a remote interest in the ocean and marine life this DVD is a must. Even if you've seen parts of the "Seas of Life" series on the Discovery channel this DVD is still worth it as the difference in quality is astounding.I had heard a lot of great things about this series before buying them and so my expectations were quite high when I popped the disc into my player. Nothing could have prepared me for the indescribably clear images and absolutely beautiful photography. I don't have a fancy TV, but this disc gave me a taste of the promise of high-definition video. And not only is this disc technically brilliant, the storylines that the editors chose to cover are all incredibly compelling.During many segments in both "Open Ocean" and "The Deep" I watched almost in disbelief at what I was seeing. Through many years of watching nature documentaries I have never seen anything like what is contained in these two episodes. It really is quite remarkable (and the "making of" featurettes are well worth watching as well). I can and do recommend this DVD without any reservations (something that any of my friends and relatives could attest to ;-)!"