Dylan-Potter Reviews

Frozen Planet (2011–2012)

Genius

[10/10 · 11 February 2014]

True genius. It makes standing in the poles, what' really seems like an exhilarating experience feel it's being done by yourself. With polar bears and penguins in the joy of spring, the summertime with less blues, autumn filled with the excitement of the mating season, the hard land that is winter, and then in the conclusion, you have people living there and you can see them. This is a classic series with brilliant moments all through it. It won 4 Emmys because it deserved them more than anything else in 2009. Madagascar- one of Attenborough's best works, the amazing documentary Ocean Giants and the classic Human Planet. Frozen Planet beat all them because some of the amazing stuff, as well as educational (not something I look for in Docos) and exciting (this one is exciting, animal-action-packed series) but also never filmed before. Nobody had filmed at Antarctic volcanoes or the Russian arctic before. Migrating eider ducks was new and never done before. That is the magic behind a classic series. Do yourself a favour if you haven't already. Watch all 7 parts. Won't waste your time. You could do an episode a day and be finished with it in a week. Come on. It won't wreck your life or anything. C'mon.

Nature's Great Events (2009)

Attenborough Strikes Gold-Again

[10/10 · 26 January 2014]

Coming from the same year as other BBC documentary classics Yellowstone, South Pacific and Life, how did this one be the best out of all of them? The things caught on film here are absolutely incredible. Incredible wildlife migrations, incredible moments of dolphins, sharks and gannets hunting sardines and whales and sea lions feast on krill, only for Killer whales to come for the sea lions. From the thrilling polar beginning to the salmon of Alaska as they risk life and fin to escape grizzly bears to the epic migration of wildebeest, zebra and antelope as they avoid lions and crocodiles to the sardine feast of South Africa, to the flooding of the Okavango Delta, to the endings where krill in Alaska, the tiniest animal imaginable causes the biggest feast of the year. These are six superb episodes, with David Attenborough's natural narration, it is great that unlike with too many other documentaries the Discovery Channel replace a perfectly fine BBC narration. I also love how like with all the other Attenborough programs, it is easy to understand for people who don't know science like me, yet this is easy to understand.

The Trials of Life (1990)

Solid Gold Attenborough Classic

[10/10 · 25 January 2014]

The Trials of Life is an amazing show. Highlighting the trials for animals, showing great film such as the iconic orca hunting scene, but it also can be seen as a form of social commentary for the humans. About how animals and humans are quite alike. The beginning, Arrival is a show of how birth can be a hardship, and I'm never gonna know how hard it is, being a man, but my mum doesn't treat it like a painless thing, and I'm sure the stars of that episode don't either. Growing Up is something everything has to do, and it is just as hard for animals as humans. Finding Food shows how hard finding food can be for animals, and indeed for humans as well. By that I mean, not everyone has food at their doorstep and can easily be brought to their mouth. Hunting and Escaping is the thrilling story of staying' alive, whether you're a seal escaping a killer whale, or maybe a human giving up on drugs to escape the hunter. Finding the Way is the tale of finding a way out of things. Finding the Way to the top, or to another place, and Finding the Way is low rating, but it rings truest in the mind frame of sometimes you need to do it yourself, because we may sometimes need a little help, but you can't reply on a natural power, you need to be making it on your own. Homemaking-animals and humans all need a place to go. Living Together-animal species learn to live together, and so can humans. Fighting doesn't have moral relatable meaning, but is probably the best episode, because it's just such a very thrilling adventure. Friends and Rivals-we all need somebody to lean on, as Bill Withers wisely wrote, but not everyone can be our friend, and we need to have rivals because it is normal. Talking to Strangers can be useful as shown by the episode. Courting and Continuing the Line means getting somebody, and sex, which is what you get when you accomplish all of the above. So by David Attenborough making animals relatable, doesn't this make him a genius, doesn't he make you wonder like no other. That is why this, (one of my top 3 Attenboroughs) is great. It makes you see what you really are, the true genius of this program which I highly recommend.

Planet Earth (2006)

2nd Greatest Attenborough Ever

[10/10 · 25 January 2014]

While not quite the superb feel of Life of Mammals, this is a very well-made documentary. Travels around the Earth and films something like never before. From Pole to Pole is an awesome beginning, and displays the best scenes upcoming, without showing too many great moments. Mountains is high adventure, where scenes are more thrilling because if predators don't get you, then the fall will. The fresh water episode shows an amazing life in the rivers, such as piranhas and river dolphins. The caves episode is a thrilling travel down into the caves of earth, the amazing underground world. Deserts shows how life survives in the remote worlds, in this hard land called the desert in a fascinating exploration. Ice Worlds shows the coldest environments, in the show's peak. Great Plains is my 2nd favourite, with so much action, thrills, an exciting episode. Jungles is a truly exciting look at the rain forests, with monkeys, snakes and many more. Shallow Seas shows the waters of true fascination. My 3rd favourite is soon after this, but first my 4th favourite Seasonal Forests is an examination of forests and some exciting creatures. Then is the truly weird Ocean Deep, starring an array of strange and different species. I can't get over how strange the species of this really are. Vampire Squid, and many things with weird names and weird bodies/lives that I am amazed by, in an epic conclusion. An epic series, my 2nd favourite Attenborough after life of mammals. WATCH IT!

The Life of Mammals (2002–2003)

The Best David Attenborough Work Ever!

[10/10 · 25 January 2014]

The reason this is the best is because it covers the mammal world. Our world, and therefore it is fascinating. It starts with monotremes and marsupials, in an episode all about Australian animals and some others from the Americas. This is a great idea as it establishes mammals and gets the ones different to normal mammals covered and out of the way. Then is the insect eater episode. This episode isn't perfect, it's charm lies within the fact that they are covered in a way never before covered. It probably was the first hedgehog sex scene ever filmed, the first to show anteaters and armadillos eat food up close, possibly the best bit is the bat scene. Then are plant eaters, which never interested me, but they find it hard to bore me in this. The African elephant scene, the scene with the plant eater's method of escape and fighting, which excited me. After is the story of rodents. Here they aren't presented as annoying little rats, but complex, amazing creatures. But then comes the best 4 Attenborough episodes. The thrilling meat eater adventure. The story of the contradiction-filled omnivores, the aquatic action of Return to the Water (possibly that's biased by my love of being underwater) and the Attenborough peak-Life in the Trees, the story of mammals who enjoy the high-life. The penultimate episode focuses on monkeys, cute, fascinating and funny. But the finale is truly mind- blowing. This series is like Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan. Starts with powerful stuff, an enjoyable middle, the exciting peak near the finale, the modest penultimate song. And then Food For Thought, the Desolation Row of documentaries. Reveals suffering humans cause on others. Starts with no problem against humanity, and then suddenly reveals the powerful humanity that causes so much suffering. The haunting message is truly done in a powerful method. David Attenborough is at his peak in this mind-blowing series, very exciting, and done like no other documentary.

The Godfather (1972)

One of the Best

[10/10 · 5 January 2014]

There have been many great films made. Alien, Life of Brian, Scarface. But only a select few don't bow down to this classic. There is a reason for this. It has a skilled production team. Acting-Some of the best acting I've ever seen. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are the world's best two actors. Script-Well written, no weak lines. Score-haunting and desperate, fits the tone of the film. I could go on and on. This film is an absolute classic. Do yourself a favour and watch. Even if you don't like gangster films, this is an essential watch. Sorry if this review is short, but I don't see how endless words can portray how expert this is. Well made to an extent few films have reached or even beaten the level of. This has stood the test of time.