Very beautiful and raw .. superb photography ... thrilling ... charles dance voice is very good .. i love it.
26 Reviews
Excellent ...
gsdeziner16 December 2018
The best example of cinematography.....
andrea-734-5810534 October 2018
Beautifully presented
kimmyw-7275612 November 2018
With Charles setting the tone and sending shivers down my spine, I would watch this on the big screen. Beautifully put together. If anyone tells you different then I'd like you to go and do the research on how these are made and put together. It's not easy and to have this as an end result is wonderful. This is a gripping animal programme that will leave you feeling like you have been watching an intense series. I can only hope there will be more to follow.
Game of thrones meets Lion King
darrellallgood28 May 2020
Absolute excellent mini series. The narrator Charles Dance just captures each moment perfect. The story line is almost like Biblical Shakespeare like drama. I can't give this enough stars. Well done and I can't wait until season 4.
Give Charles Dance an Emmy for that!!
nikostsoup14 February 2020
Such an amazing documentary with epic cinematography creating such beautiful tension and making you sympathise with some beautiful animals in a cruel world. The greatest thing though that makes this epic is the narrating of this amazing man. Charles Dance. Such a smooth, captivating voice. I am in love with this man and he most definately deserves an Emmy for his narrating talent.
Charles Dance is thrilling.
johnpap-2583614 February 2020
Charles Dance's voice sends chills down my spine. This man is born for narrating documentaries like this. Clearly better than David Attenborough. I think they gave David the Emmys out of respect. Charles deserved them more.
AWESOME SHOW
moe_hilli12 December 2019
Amazing and Riveting!
dmlebo19 November 2018
Unlike some of the other soft Animal Planet documentary Series this show is truly riveting. I turned my first episode on and actually turned it off after about 20 minutes because I was not used to seeing such brutal reality in the life of animals in Africa. The narrator does an excellent job AND supports the interactions and reality of real wild life! Theres nothing sugar-coated here! Best educational series I've ever watched yet.
Narration
alex-scott1211 March 2018
Seasons 1-3 good ; season 4 TAME kingdom; C. Dance deserved Emmy for brilliant narration
cgtam29 August 2020
I indeed like this rewatchable series because of its new story telling approach to big cats lives, esp leopards. It's deliberately written like "Game of Thrones." Charles Dance's befitting distinctive Narration & vocal acting is what makes this series SO enjoyable, using his "Tywin Lannister" voice. Clearly he watched the series while narrating. He def deserved Emmy for his vocal performance- it's the main reason why this series is both unique & rewatchable. Even the GOT music & iconic slogans are used in this unique series.
There's only several scenes that's repeated in every episode & season, with different script for each predators' point of view. Yet, since it's 1st release yrs ago, NG keeps watering down the brutal world shown to near G rating, editing out Dance's vocal intro entirely & some extraordinary shots one never sees in plethora of bland "cure for insomnia" nature docs.
Once young TEENS have solid understanding of African predators lives in ONCE WILD African plains & cruel 8 to15 month dry season, then they're ready to enjoy this series, especially S1-3. There's real truth in this series, nature's brutality & suffering, that many ppl choose to ignore. It's named Savage Kingdom (SK) for a reason.
To those that criticize SK script & narration: with young kids, watch Disney's many over simplified "life is easy for wildlife" boring borderline false narrations; or see best BBC planet earth series that barely mentions & never shows endless extreme difficulties predators are forced to endure to protect their families. Also, see NG's "Hostile Planet" , each episode repeating same brief boring scenes & statements from other series with Grylis' ineffective exaggerated short intro narration- befitting for young kids too.
Due to some criticism after SK release of seasons 1-3, season 4 changed into a bland PBS nature show. No real life & death unique shots & it repeats the same shots at different angles. No follow up on the prior Seasons painted wolves nor same 4 lion prides. Kills & hunts are hidden; script is notably altered from GOT series to "weak by the numbers doc script," & Dance's superb narration is changed to less dramatic tone.
Shame the creators changed their formula to the same vanilla type nature shows seen everywhere except the best BBC planets series where BBC too, reuses many older film clips to "create a story."
There's only several scenes that's repeated in every episode & season, with different script for each predators' point of view. Yet, since it's 1st release yrs ago, NG keeps watering down the brutal world shown to near G rating, editing out Dance's vocal intro entirely & some extraordinary shots one never sees in plethora of bland "cure for insomnia" nature docs.
Once young TEENS have solid understanding of African predators lives in ONCE WILD African plains & cruel 8 to15 month dry season, then they're ready to enjoy this series, especially S1-3. There's real truth in this series, nature's brutality & suffering, that many ppl choose to ignore. It's named Savage Kingdom (SK) for a reason.
To those that criticize SK script & narration: with young kids, watch Disney's many over simplified "life is easy for wildlife" boring borderline false narrations; or see best BBC planet earth series that barely mentions & never shows endless extreme difficulties predators are forced to endure to protect their families. Also, see NG's "Hostile Planet" , each episode repeating same brief boring scenes & statements from other series with Grylis' ineffective exaggerated short intro narration- befitting for young kids too.
Due to some criticism after SK release of seasons 1-3, season 4 changed into a bland PBS nature show. No real life & death unique shots & it repeats the same shots at different angles. No follow up on the prior Seasons painted wolves nor same 4 lion prides. Kills & hunts are hidden; script is notably altered from GOT series to "weak by the numbers doc script," & Dance's superb narration is changed to less dramatic tone.
Shame the creators changed their formula to the same vanilla type nature shows seen everywhere except the best BBC planets series where BBC too, reuses many older film clips to "create a story."
PLEASE RELEASE IT ON BLU RAY
moe_hilli12 December 2019
Mesmerising
nicolapreece9 May 2022
But also very hard to watch at times. The brutal reality of survival. Some parts are heartbreaking but unfortunately accurate.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series & I thought the narration was also good.
If you're looking for a good, honest wildlife series then this is one of the best of it's kind.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series & I thought the narration was also good.
If you're looking for a good, honest wildlife series then this is one of the best of it's kind.
One of the best animal documentaries around!
serenecelene5 September 2023
I'm an exotic animal/pet enthusiast, and absolutely adore this show! Bought all seasons, so I can watch it again and again. Very well-made and gives an incredible look into how intense and dramatic life in the wild really is.
While this show doesn't feature the specific kinds of animals I've personally had/wish to have as pets, it doesn't matter -- this story has EVERYTHING! Drama, beautiful actors, romance, suspense, betrayal, and of course an incredible narrator. The creators of Savage Kingdom should be proud of themselves!
My other favorite TV shows are Breaking Bad, The Office, and Gossip Girl. This show honestly fits right in!
HIGHLY recommend to animal lovers and people who want a REAL non-Disneyfied look into the lives of wild animals of the Serengeti!
While this show doesn't feature the specific kinds of animals I've personally had/wish to have as pets, it doesn't matter -- this story has EVERYTHING! Drama, beautiful actors, romance, suspense, betrayal, and of course an incredible narrator. The creators of Savage Kingdom should be proud of themselves!
My other favorite TV shows are Breaking Bad, The Office, and Gossip Girl. This show honestly fits right in!
HIGHLY recommend to animal lovers and people who want a REAL non-Disneyfied look into the lives of wild animals of the Serengeti!
Beautiful footage, awful narration
dacascos-126 March 2017
There is plenty of beautiful footage but the score and narration is the worst I have ever experienced in a nature film. Overdramatic, and every other sentence is a cliché. The style of speaking to the lions in second person is an idea to immediately dump in the waste bin. And even the sunset is accompanied with some dramatic tones,
Repetitive
darrenwwalsh27 January 2019
Some amazing footage here and the series starts out great but the "story line" and narration become repetitive and boring with the exact same footage shown over and over again. Disappointing after such great footage has been captured.
Ugh. The narration
smartU231 March 2022
I love Charles Dance. I think that he's a really outstanding actor The narration is overwrought. Best way to put it. I feel like just snippets of over-dramatized narration is happening. After 15 minutes of the first episode, I want not to hear his voice. Unfortunately, the editing and narration is closely linked. I get that this nature production is trying to do something different. Well, for me, it's not working. I do not like it when narrators to animal documentaries give these cutesy narrations. I find it incredibly annoying. However, there are some really great narrations out their. Gillian Burke comes to mind. This should not sound like a Shakespearean soliloquy tape-looped.
Some good footage spoiled by overwrought narration
natecarlson-331-69152330 May 2021
There is some good footage in this series, but the script and narration are lacking. As is typical of Disney nature productions, the animals are anthropomorphised, having been given names. The script goes so far as to describe of the animals' ambitions to "conquer", even giving inner monologues for some of the animals, there's a lot of talk of plans and thrones, and silly analogies to systems created by medieval humans.
Similarly typical is the narration. Actors tend to view nature documentaries as performances, and that's not really what they are. Dance's overzealous delivery is unnecessary, the animals are interesting enough without it.
This is a pet peeve of mine. It is arrogance to think that animals think in the same way as humans. The script also promotes negative stereotypes about hyenas being morally bad. Such stereotypes have done a lot of harm to these animals.
Together, the writing and delivery undermine the documentary. The unscientific terms and novice narrator take away from the credibility. I'd recommend watching it on mute. Put some music on, you'll get more out of the experience.
Similarly typical is the narration. Actors tend to view nature documentaries as performances, and that's not really what they are. Dance's overzealous delivery is unnecessary, the animals are interesting enough without it.
This is a pet peeve of mine. It is arrogance to think that animals think in the same way as humans. The script also promotes negative stereotypes about hyenas being morally bad. Such stereotypes have done a lot of harm to these animals.
Together, the writing and delivery undermine the documentary. The unscientific terms and novice narrator take away from the credibility. I'd recommend watching it on mute. Put some music on, you'll get more out of the experience.
Narration
evalipay20024 September 2020
Ham script, even hammier voice over.
inhart30 August 2019
The 6 episode first series has about an hour of footage that is then unmercifully flogged to death over six hours. By series 6 you can predict which piece of footage will be repeated next The script, which is a series of ham cliches cobbled together by an 11 year old in a poetry class is even more sparse and repetitive. To cap it all, Charles Dance's voice over is outrageous. I don't know how he kept a straight face. Altogether, we need to keep David Attenborough going indefinitely if this is the best others can do.
Disappointing
kaaboontan22 September 2018
AN ABSOLUTE SHïT SHOW
sandygloom6 April 2020
Repetitive
itsagianttoo8 October 2023
There are some great scenes but I've never watched an animal series with so much reused footage. Each episode has multiple scenes from the episodes preceding it. The series never makes and forward movement. Just spins in a circle. The narration is overly dramatic to the point of comical. It's too bad. They were clearly trying to make this series something it failed to become. Based on the choice of narrator and the title this appears to be an attempt to document a "Game of Thrones" animal kingdom where violence rules the day. Unfortunately we don't learn much about the different species as you typically do with animal shows. Overall it a repetitive failed animal show version of a bad soap opera.
Totally unadequate commentary, made up to gaze, absolutely unfit for children who will see picture with false interpretation. Animals are no humans, they do not premeditate or
dunreiw5 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Animals are no humans, they do not premeditate or have long term plans, they just try to survive the best they can in an ever changing and difficult environment.
Dogs are highly sociable whereas cats are much more bound to a territory their will defend with all they have.
Dogs will look after each other, let an aging king continue to live and feed him It is a great pity to show such wonderful animals in a stunning landscape and tell such stupid, aberrant things such as the dogs are conspiring to abolish the hyena force or to read the leopards mi.d when even himself is not thinking about anything else at this moment than how to protect his young best.
Dogs are highly sociable whereas cats are much more bound to a territory their will defend with all they have.
Dogs will look after each other, let an aging king continue to live and feed him It is a great pity to show such wonderful animals in a stunning landscape and tell such stupid, aberrant things such as the dogs are conspiring to abolish the hyena force or to read the leopards mi.d when even himself is not thinking about anything else at this moment than how to protect his young best.
Worst narrator ever!
gjgilbert17 May 2023
Charles Dance's narration is so boring - he sounds half dead. I have watched hundreds upon hundreds of animal shows and he is by far the worst narrator ever.
It took all I had to even get through the first episode. I couldn't even attempt to watch a second episode.
Please do not let him ever narrate another show. He should stick to making movies or whatever else it is that he does - definitely NOT narrating.
All the credit in this series should go to the animals and the photographers not Charles Dance. He should be embarrassed to even have his name listed in the credits.
I'll find something a little more exciting to watch in the future.
It took all I had to even get through the first episode. I couldn't even attempt to watch a second episode.
Please do not let him ever narrate another show. He should stick to making movies or whatever else it is that he does - definitely NOT narrating.
All the credit in this series should go to the animals and the photographers not Charles Dance. He should be embarrassed to even have his name listed in the credits.
I'll find something a little more exciting to watch in the future.
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