For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Blistering performances.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

WHAT'S EARTH ABOUT? 90-minute version of the incredible BBC documentary miniseries Planet Earth.IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: A-) What the film version lacks in the miniseries' thoroughness, it makes up for in a breathless pace that relentlessly transports you all over the world (as any great adventure film should). The footage is, quite simply, some of the most stunning ever captured on film, in any genre.What's more, Earth works as a riveting drama, following three families (polar bears, humpback whales, and African elephants) as they try to survive predators, climate change, and the search for food, over the course of one year. I found myself invested in the survival of these animals as much or more than any fictional character, due at least in part to clever editing and skillful narration by James Earl Jones. The wonder of nature makes for a terrific blockbuster.IS IT OKAY FOR YOUR KIDS? Earth is rated G. There are some moments of animals in peril and some scenes of animals being attacked by predators, though thankfully there is no gory or bloody footage.ANY WORTHWHILE MESSAGES? With perseverance, grit, and teamwork you can survive almost anything.

I'm a National Geographic and Discovery Channel addict, I just love watching documentaries about our great planet, Earth. Not all of us get to travel to different places around the world to see all these amazing creatures and cultures. So when I saw the cover for Disney's Earth, I didn't hesitate to put the movie in the Blu Ray player and watch it. You think about these shots that the photographers get and how long it must've taken to get them and you really appreciate all the beauty they captured. Some animals you've heard of and some you haven't. The world is a huge place and we can't see everything it has to offer with these amazing animals and Earth takes you on a journey to show you what their lives are like.Earth takes a view on the journeys from the North Pole to the South Pole, revealing how plants and animals respond to the power of the sun and the changing seasons. The film focuses on three particular species, the polar bear, African bush elephant and humpback whale. Starting in the high Arctic in January, as the darkness of winter gives way to the sun, a mother polar bear is shown emerging from her den with two new cubs. She needs food and must lead her cubs to her hunting ground on the sea ice before it begins to break up. African bush elephants are filmed from the air as they negotiate a dust storm in the Kalahari Desert. A humpback whale mother and calf are filmed from the air and underwater at their breeding grounds in the shallow seas of the tropics. There is nothing here for the mother to eat, so she must guide her calf on a 4,000-mile journey south to the rich feeding grounds near Antarctica, the longest migration of any marine mammal.Our planet is incredible, it's really amazing when you think about how some places are extremely hot, some are unbearably cold. Some places are dry, some are wet. But everywhere you go, there is some form of life that thrives in the environment. Earth shows you these amazing animals and what it takes to survive. It's also in some ways a very sad tale, we know how much the planet is suffering right now due to the global warming. I knew seeing the polar bears would be hard as we find out that more of the species are becoming extinct due to drowning and getting lost at sea. It's also a hard ship to see baby animals being hunted by other animals for food. It's part of the circle of life, but still sad to see.The polar bears is the most touching story about the mother bear and her cubs waiting for their father to come home with food. The father is trying his best to protect his family, but can't find any food anywhere. The humpback whales segment is absolutely beautiful, seeing these giant mammals swim is a glorious sight. You think about the traveling they must endure in order to survive is exhausting but shows the greatness of what they are willing to do. I also loved seeing the birds in South America, so unique looking and very entertaining to see their mating dances. Earth is a great documentary that everyone should see, the world is so big, it's hard to see everything it has to offer. Earth gives you the opportunity to see just a small fraction of what beauty is around the world.10/10

In case you're not already aware, today marks Earth Day as we sit back and reflect upon the evils that we do on a daily basis, through our actions and inactions causing the planet great stress in its ability to sustain life, and the systematic eradication of creatures with whom we share Nature with. Things we don't see we fail to understand, and Earth the documentary film provides that rare glimpse into the far flung reaches of the Earth, from Pole to Pole through the course of a year and its seasons, from the depths of the oceans to the highest mountain peaks. It's almost Planet Earth digested into 100 minutes, with an environmental message that all will be lost should we continue doing what we're doing.The version shown here is the UK version with the venerable Patrick Stewart providing the narration. Other versions include James Earl Jones doing the same for the US one (I would love to hear his deep resonating baritone voice), and Ken Watanabe in the Japanese version. With nature documentaries, one will appreciate the intricate details and craft in creating a story out of the footage shot, and leaving it up to the narrator to keep it engaging through expression alone.Then there's the unforgettable, gorgeous cinematography that will leave you spellbound and taking your breath away each time, be it satellite inspired wide angled shots seen from outer space or high up in the atmosphere, or microscopic time lapsed ones that show the many changes over the passage of time. What's definitive about this film is its never shying away from the circle of life, where hunter and prey jostle for survival of the fittest, where the slightest mistake by either party is a matter of life and death. For this, the deliberate slow motion accentuates the sense of danger and adrenaline felt, and like poetry in motion, we bear witness to how a leopard goes all out to capture its prey, or how the great white shark beautifully emerges Jaws like at its prey, complete with a twist and choreographed fall back into the ocean.It's witnessing a Noah's Ark worth of animals trying to make sense of the inexplicable changes to their habitats, which turns the world as they know it topsy-turvy, as they go about their season routine now with greater difficulty. We see how the melting polar caps wreck havoc on the Polar Bear's hunt, and how long distance the Elephant herd have to trek in search of water, desert land slowing creeping up the composition of land mass on Earth. Or how far the Humpback Whales must swim, no longer fueled by the plankton required for energy along the way. It's a little painful and heart wrenching even to watch how the animals struggle to keep their offspring and species alive, while we contribute directly to their challenges, and continue to plunder and waste.I'm pretty glad and somewhat surprised as well that the theatre chain showing this, decided to go the distance by screening it in one of the largest halls available, where it can easily do so in one of the very small ones given the unfortunate lacklustre response to a nature documentary. A misbehaving projector aside which got repaired before screening began (and a prompt notification of the offer of a refund, which nobody took up), it makes it all the more worthwhile to witness Nature digitally on the big screen, with an awesome sound system. If you watch this and don't feel a thing or a need to change, then surely you do not have a heart. Time to reduce even further, and reuse and recycle even more. Do something, not nothing. Don't let this slip your grasp, and visit http://www.loveearth.com for more information.

I saw the German version of the movie in German television and I was really amazed. I generally like to see documentaries, but I can't remember to have seen one that is better than 'Earth'. I knew some of the scenes from Youtube videos that I found by random browsing. I also remember to have seen parts of the film on multimedia stores, running on the displayed high definition TVs. After seeing the movie it's obvious to me why the footage is so popular among Youtube users and multimedia retail managers: It's just so awesome and spectacular that you can't help but stare on the screen, no matter if you're generally interested in nature documentaries or not.Without hesitating a 10 out of 10. For sure, there are more thrilling movies, but in regard of documentaries, 'Earth' is definitely one of the best of it's genre.