Search - Wild Pacific on DVD

Excellent

maryzeus | Michigan | 07/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is fantastic, lots of nature information and unusual rare flora and fauna! Mike Rowe as narrator at his best. Great watching for people who like water, and nature. Some sad scenes of course, this is REAL reality, not those fake shows that pass for reality. Highly recommend as an addition to anyone's library!"

Heaven on Earth!

D. J. Nardi | Washington, DC | 12/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Visually, Wild Pacific [Blu-ray] is beautiful. The blu-ray quality on this disc is perhaps the best I've seen for any nature documentary. Everything is extremely clear and rich, from the deep blue Pacific Ocean waves to the vibrant colors in a coral reef to the slender hairs on a hunting spiders. Some of the footage is so startling that it looks almost fantastical.

Some of the scenes in Wild Pacific are unlike anything I've seen before. In one scene, a carnivorous caterpillar catches a Hawaiian fruit fly. In another, which took my breathe away, the cinematographers caught an underwater volcano erupting and in the process of forming a new island. That's something you don't see every day.

Unlike most nature documentaries, this one shows a lot of people. In many ways, these scenes are almost an anthropological study of Pacific islanders. Admittedly, some of these scenes are pretty cool, particularly the islanders who bungee jump through the rainforest. However, like most people interested in the BBC's documentaries, I watched Wild Pacific to see wildlife, and sometimes the scenes with humanity took time away from the wildlife.

I was also a bit disappointed with the narration. Benedict Cumberbatch as the narrator isn't bad, and manages to throw some suspense into the narration. However, it's somewhat shallow and sometimes doesn't explain the science behind everything we're seeing. For example, most biologists believe sea turtles do possess internal magnetic compass to navigate, but Cumberbatch made the turtles' navigation skills sound like a mystery (for more on this ability of sea turtles, see Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation).

If Wild Pacific were South Pacific tourism infomercial, it would certainly succeed in attracting droves of tourists. After viewing this documentary, I very much want to visit the region. If it's anything like the images depicted in Wild Pacific, it truly does look like Heaven on Earth."

Excellent DVD set

Brenda Pink | Lethbridge, AB, CAN | 12/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Another one of BBC's "Wild" series and it ranks up there with the others. Not quite as expansive as Wild China, and a bit repetitious with some segments appearing twice through the set, which I why I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5. However, this DVD set gives an excellent view into life in and on the Pacific. Because the Pacific is an oceanic realm, much of the photography is underwater. There are also many scenes of bird life which are fascinating. Anyone sensitive to the plight of birds may want to know that, as in nature, many birds meet a ghastly end in these films. And, as in other of the "Wild" series, the films touch on the conflict between humans and nature. The last section touches on the future of the ocean and what programs may or may not help secure the future of some of these oceanic species. Highly recommended."

Entertaining and informative.

L. Zeigler | San Antonio, TX | 01/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this series on TV and enjoyed it thoroughly. I bought it for my 8-year old granddaughter who has watched it repeatedly. One of my friends bought it for her college-age son and he loved it. Can't reccomend it too highly."