Nature has a great way of being the world’s most wonderful television series without the use of actors, a script, or even a plot. It can be any time of year and we are certain to see some type of weather that produces a beautiful light show or covers the Earth in a soft blanket of white. Whether you are in the vast plains of Africa or high in the mountains of the Himalayas, animals are giving five-star performances that are worthy of any Oscar or Golden Globe. Take a journey deep into a cave or further into the rainforests and witness a story told by bugs or bats that could make you smile or bring a tear to your eye. Nature has beauty that will forever entertain us and always offer up brilliant plots which shall never stray from the truth. All that’s needed is for someone to be there with a camera, have a little bit patience, and a sharp eye for seeing all of the wonders that nature has to offer.
Snakes are something that either frighten the hell out of you or intrigue you beyond all belief. Now while I’m not entirely enamored with them, they don’t actually scare me half to death or else I wouldn’t be able to watch documentaries on them like this or Kiss My Snake. The Beauty of Snakes is a documentary that takes you not only through the different types of snakes found around the world, but also through their lives and actions. First of all, one must realize that snakes shouldn’t only be looked at as venomous killers only out for the kill and the feed. Although you may not look at the females of the species as being the nicest creatures either since they lay their eggs and then pretty much abandon their young.
Still we get to see that snakes provide some great services for the human race by eating certain bugs and devouring members of the rodent family. If it weren’t for our slithering friends, then we’d be overrun by those critters and forced to learn first-hand what it would be like to live down in the sewers except without all the water and such. As is the problem with all of these documentaries though, they’re way too short for any type of real depth or details. With only forty-three minutes (not discounting the credits) of total viewing time, the audience is left without all of the nitty-gritty we’d like to know about particular species of snakes and end up just getting a bunch of general information. I think some of the graphic footage (including one with a dog and one with a duck) is intended to make people perhaps not long for more or just be done, but in the knowledgeable aspect of things, I would have liked more.
Elephants are beautiful creatures that aren’t always looked at as such because of their enormous bulk and girth that many people would see as frightening or intimidating. This Blu-ray disc journeys through the lifespan of the gentle giants as they are born, grow to full-size, and eventually end up raising their own young. We are also taken through the daily lives of the elephants and see how they collect food for both themselves and their little ones. It is also quite amazing watching them bathe or seek shelter or even just wander around to different areas in what one can only think is in hopes of finding something else to do or see. We are led through their days and experiences, but if only we could figure out exactly what we are thinking. That would truly be masterful.
Africa’s Elephant Kingdom continues along with the great camerawork and the awesome eyes of the filmmakers as they are able to track down these cool animals as they make rounds in lush and gorgeous environments. Viewers are shown the masterful movements of the elephants along with their grace (believe it or not) as they huddle together for safety or gingerly move about their children to have them where they should be. Animal Planet could have done so much more with this disc though because things seem so rushed and that is obviously because the full length of the feature is only forty minutes. One can’t possibly expect to capture all that is the popular pachyderm in the matter of a little over half an hour now can they?
Unlike snakes, bugs really kind of creep the hell out of me and spiders more so then anything. Animal Planet’s Buggin’ with Rudd host Rudd Kleinpaste is here to take us all on our journey through the world of bugs, large and small alike. Rudd essentially takes on small treks through the life, mating habits, and other parts of the lives of a variety of insects…err sorry, bugs. We start off with cockroaches and move on to the praying mantis and dragonflies and then killer bees and beetles and scorpions and of course {shudder} spiders among many others. Rolling along with Rudd allows viewers to check out where they live, how they hunt, and how to survive which is one of the most important things any type of bug must learn how to do.
As much as the spiders creep me out and the rest of the bugs make me itch, I’ll have to say this documentary still was highly enjoyable and overly educational. Rudd is a brilliant man and truly knows what he is talking about when it comes to bugs and insects so listen to the man because he isn’t just blowing smoke here. Considering my feelings towards bugs in general, it wasn’t the close-up shots of them or their battles that intrigued me most but all the knowledge Rudd was throwing out. It is amazing all the little intricacies and details that come along with bugs and just how much there is about them that people (like myself) may never know or realize because of how gross and scary they are. While Baddest Bugs may not be a great show, it is certainly an enlightening one and sure to give you the willies.
Two of the documentaries (Bugs and Snakes) are shown Widescreen format, while only one (Elephants) is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen. All three look good with nice colors and sharp images, but the Elephants show a little bit more dullness at times than the widescreen discs.
All three documentaries are heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and there was almost no need to go to such extremes for them since the surrounding speakers are hardly ever used. Some of the music and the occasional sound effect or elephant stomp will echo through, but not much else. The sound coming through the center speaker is more then adequate and mono or stereo sound would have done these Blu-rays justice.
None – All three of the discs have not a single special feature combined.
These three Animal Planet specials are all sold separately but not as a set, but I don’t really see them being worth purchasing then either. Two of them are under forty-five minutes in length while the one about bugs is ninety minutes; that’s all you get. Not a single special feature joins any of featured documentaries on their Blu-ray discs and each one has a replayability of almost none because that’s just what happens when watching animals. Ok so maybe the one about elephants would get a second or third viewing, but I can’t imagine anyone really wanting to check out the documentaries about bugs or snakes more than once. Sitting pretty heavy with price tags of close to twenty bucks or more each, none of these should be bought for your collection unless you really have a thing for the animals included. Check out a rental one night or simply check your local listings because chances are you can catch them all on Animal Planet multiple times each week.
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Genius Entertainment presents The Beauty of Snakes. Starring: Aoife McMahon. Running time: 43 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: April 7, 2009. Available At Amazon.com
Genius Entertainment presents Africa’s Elephant Kingdom. Starring: Avery Brooks. Running time: 40 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: April 7, 2009. Available At Amazon.com
Genius Entertainment presents The World’s Biggest and Baddest Bugs. Starring: Ruud Kleinpaste. Running time: 87 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: April 7, 2009. Available At Amazon.com
