Planet Earth (TV Mini Series) Deserts (2006) User Reviews

The Endless Search For Water

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 1 January 2009]

It's understandable if you get thirsty watching this episode. All the creatures in the desert, it seems, spend most or all spend their time looking for water, to survive. When water does arrive, in the form of a shower, or a flash flood from miles away, the animals and birds get busy and drink as much of it as they can. Some places rarely see moisture.

There are some incredible things, though, in deserts around the world. In one place, fog provides the only moisture, and that's for about one hour before the sun bakes it off. However, it is noted by narrator David Attenborough, that "it is not the heat or lack of water which kills most life in the desert: it is lack of food."

Some of the best sights, for those of viewing this series on DVD, include fantastic aerial shots of long sand dunes. The smoothness and shapes, I think, are some of the prettiest sights on this planet.

Each minute is a discovery

[filipecabeleira · 9/10 · 5 June 2008]

This episode is fantastic.

Is beautiful and visually amazing.

Show us a completely different world but also very beautiful and full of surprises.

I enjoyed to see and to admire the landscapes, the animals and all the life that the deserts contain.

Each minute is a discovery.

The Making of is also very good, because we have the possibility to the true adventure from behind the cameras.

See and enjoy it like i did.

The deserts may be dry, but this episode certainly isn't

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 12 November 2017]

Absolutely adore 'Planet Earth', one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. Have remarked a few times that it and its recent follow up (every bit as good) did for nature and out planet as 'Walking with Dinosaurs' did with the dinosaurs. David Attenborough is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.

That "Deserts" may be perhaps one of the weaker 'Planet Earth' episodes is saying nothing, because it is still absolutely wonderful and many cuts above most things talking about deserts in educational terms and a lot of nature documentaries in general. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.

Where to start with the praises for "Deserts?" For starters it looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed with some jaw-dropping aerial shots, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life and the rich colours positively leap out. The music is epic but has just as many quieter moments that speak just as much. The main theme is unforgettable.

Regarding the narrative aspects, "Deserts" can't be faulted there either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. Everything is intriguing and illuminating, with as much for children to be inspired by as well as adults, and there is just enough freshness to avoid it from becoming stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.

"Deserts" succeeds brilliantly in showing how the lack of water and such affects the inhabitants/wildlife, what is done to try and overcome the obstacles and how they adapt. The episode was illuminating to me too, because my knowledge of deserts before was basically knowing that it was hot and that it was dry, to find out so much more and building upon/expanding on what little was known is what good documentary watching is all about and "Deserts" accomplished that with flying colours.

One may find themselves, like me, rooting for the inhabitants and even the deserts themselves in the way they would a human. "Deserts" may just lack the emotional impact (or the same amount at least) or complexity of some of the other 'Planet Earth' episodes, hence the slightly lower rating than the previous ones, but it's beautifully structured with nothing episodic about it, feeling again like its own individual story and journey (another general strength of Attenborough documentaries).

In summation, didn't quite bowl me over as much as other episodes of the series but still wonderfully done and fascinating. Nothing dry about it at all and actually has very little wrong, just that the other episodes had a little more emotional impact. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Proof that deserts are not exactly like they seem

[bellino-angelo2014 · 9/10 · 27 September 2019]

In this PLANET EARTH episode we'll travel across the deserts of all over the world and we'll see how many animals and plants adapt to this arsh lifestyle. But we'll also see a brighter side of deserts that the average person will never imagine of it.

Our journey begins in the Mongolian desert where, after a snow fall, we follow a group of Bactrian camels (also the subject of the behind-the scenes featurette) that eat the remaining snow and use their calls for attracting females. After some footage of a desert storm in the Sahara desert, dunes and rocky outcrops in Egypt we go to Australia following kangaroos' survival techniques under the scorching desert heat. Then again in the Sahara following a fennec fox and her cubs that at night chase other animals (toads, monitor lizards, scorpions). And as narrator David Attenborough says these foxes are forced to stay under ground all day because of the hear.

And if those two deserts were not hot enough, then get ready for the Atacama desert, the south American equivalent of the Death Valley! But we find out that even large animals like guanacos (relatives of the camel) can thrive here. How? Thanks to the moisture that at times creates a fog in the desert and thanks to this the plants are almost always covered in dew. In the Sonora desert we witness a huge rainfall, cactus flowers that bloom and bats that eat their nectar. After a brief stop in the Utah desert we'll go for the third and last time in North Africa.

Here we'll see desert elephants that travel for miles in search of places where they can dig with their feet for water. They might seem out of place in such a barren place, but they are NOT the only one. Also lions and oryx have to travel for their respective food sources. We also see that elephants prefer eat the roots of the desert grass. After a brief flood that helps the animals just mentioned, we focus on the desert locust, an insect that lives in huge schools and when they scent of a florid place (with fresh grass and vegetation alike) they form huge swarms and eat everything that crosses their path!!

This is another great episode of the show thanks to stunning cinematography, endearing narration by Sir David Attenborough, and the always unforgettable theme music. This episode is particular because for most of the time the viewer will root for the creatures that have to live in such scorching conditions, and, despite this, this episode shows also that deserts can be full of life. Just as good as the other episodes.

Deserts!

[dakuchonekobing · 6/10 · 10 September 2020]

This is a good episode. I enjoyed watching it. There're many things I learned from this. The animals living in deserts is interesting. The zoom-out scenes with music are awesome. And once again I have to bow before the music they used. So so incredible!