Search - Genesis: Where Are We Coming From? on DVD

Perfect for your new Plasma Widescreen UHDTV

ETI Gunengine.com | Prescott, AZ, USA | 09/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We go out and buy the latest, coolest video monitors, plasma TV's, HD and widescreens, then what do we watch? Terrible sitcom TV programming, sports (ok, how many grassy helmets can we see in vivid XCU HDTV?), cartoons, and movies with enough car chases and explosions to bore Tarentino. NO LONGER!

Genesis is just amazing, as a date movie, for the kids (careful of the sex scenes though mom), and ESPECIALLY to take that new HD or widescreen technology for an awesome spin. The cinematography is just stunning, from close ups of the anglerfish eating a shrimp, to sky high views of Africa. Sure, it's been on cable on and off, but the DVD, although not the equivalent of movie quality due to compression, is still one of the most striking you'll ever add to your library. I've read that death counsellors are even showing this to terminal patients because it is such an "upper" about life in general, with hints at the continuity of consciousness.

The little bits of philosophy ("my atoms were a cloud in me and will become the wing of a butterfly" etc.) are non-denominational and not controversial. We've had friends over ranging in age from 14 to 60 and each one has raved about the "experience."

Grab this one for a real treat, or give it as a gift that will be appreciated for years. Why do we buy a dvd anyway? After a few viewings we can recite the script by heart. Just to give us another jewel case to dust? Not so here, the images keep adding new dimensions after multiple viewings. This is the kind of DVD that the media and monitors were made for!"

Lush Nature Photography

R. Schultz | Chicago | 09/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautiful, bedazzling panorama of the evolution of life on this earth. We see what might have been the primordial chaos and fish rising from its vast waters and struggling onto land. We get a sense of the all the variety that has come from those first fateful flappings.

Most of the pictures are dedicated to the interactions of the "lower" animals - such as the amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Well, it would have been impossible to follow through and devote much time to all the mammals. So this movie is indeed more about beginnings.

I learned a new word from the DVD cover - the word "griot." I found that is an African storyteller, a person who perpetuates oral tradition. Such a griot is the narrator of this movie. And while I didn't really learn anything new about the development of life here, I felt privileged to be accompanying this movie's griot on his journey through time. He makes a much saner companion than Carlos Castaneda's famous "brujo" guide into and through the natural world."

GREAT FOR BIO CLASS INTROS!

G. Engler | The Frigid Northeast | 02/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was apprehensive about showing this DVD to a sophomore biology class...how would they respond to dubbed English, and the device of an African storyteller linking wordless, though beautiful images, illustrating the diversity of life on earth?

The answer is that they were enthralled. After introducing it as a folkloric description of the origins of life, and emphasizing its represantation of the diversity of life, the students really enjoyed it. It provided a great visual lead in to a discussion on the characteristics and classification of life.

A wonderful supplement to - rather than replacement for - the essential PBS series on Evolution. (although you do need to pre-screen the Why Sex? DVD in that series for older students only - the bonobos, and the scientists who study them, are just a wee bit too enthusiastic about their going at it for sophomores in general intro bio!

Too bad amazon doesn't have a photo of this great DVD to accompany the listing for identification. Highly recommended!"

Amazing film - Bad DVD

dh | Ottawa, Ontario | 02/24/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This film is a wonderful experience through natures immagination.

Amazing visuals and great composition, BUT...

There is a lot of compression on the DVD. The picture could be better.

The worst part about it all is that they dubbed the french african narrator!! When I saw it at the theater they subtitled it, and it was a lot better. I don't understand the reasoning for this, but thats what you get.

I seriously suggest watching this film though - just too bad the DVD isn't as good."