The Americas

Having been brought up on BBC wildlife programs narrated by the incomparable Sir David Attenborough, I was curious to see if this American made program showed anything new and if it was any good, well there wasn't much that I haven't seen before, but the camera work was glorious and Tom Hanks have it a good go, although I do find his voice a bit irritating, over all the program probably would have been great, but found I the music and background sounds too invasive, could hardly hear the poor Tom and he wouldn't have been cheap. Anyway this was so distracting from the visuals I gave up with it.

One of the best nature shows ever! And Tom Hanks is a great narrator! Spectacular photography and some things weve never seen before on a show. So very impressed and in hopes of more to follow. Thank you BBC or whoever produced this fabulous series. One of the best nature shows we have ever watched. Photography was beyond amazing and we discovered some wildlife we have never seen before in a nature show. Tom Hanks did an outstanding job of narrating the film. We will be saving this to watch again several times and sharing with family and friends. Would be wonderful if more episodes were created.

The content, visuals, and narration are OUTSTANDING!!!! But, everything would be perfect if the music didn't drowned out Mr. Hanks wonderful narrative!! The music is lovely but too loud!!!! I want to hear the narrative as well! The visuals are so full of color and expressive action! The narrative tells an impressive tale giving the viewer background stories and remarkable details. I could watch these over and over catching new details each time. Mr. Hanks is absolutely amazing the way he delivers the information!! The production is thoughtful but not forced. There is humor, emotion, excitement, and danger. All the elements are presented in perfect balance, except the music level.

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but the narration from Tom Hank's is just not right for this kind of programme, maybe I've been spoilt with the Goat Mr Attenborough for too long but this is so disconnected and clunky its really put me off watching it. Shame. It's so scripted which I know is how it works but the trick is to make it sound like it isn't scripted. You want the narrator to say things from an experts POV and that they are telling you things from knowledge not a rigid script. I love Toms acting work and rarely see a bad performance in anything he does but I think he needs to stick to the big screen sorry.

NBC's website addresses the question of whether or not AI was used in the show. The following text is from NBC's website:

"Anyone who tuned into the first two episodes of NBC's The Americas may have questions like "Is this real?" or "Am I just seeing AI or CGI?" While it's a testament to how incredible and unbelievable the footage is, the truth is the fantastic nature footage is just the result of innovative filming techniques and clever, dedicated camera operators.

Is The Americas show AI? No. While AI imagery can produce some pretty surreal-looking things, the footage found in The Americas comes straight from real life, which makes it all the more impressive. Artificial Intelligence still can't create some of the wonders that are found right in our continent's backyards.

The footage captured by The Americas crew is not the generated by AI or CGI. Instead, it's the fruit of more than 180 expeditions to some of the most hostile and gorgeous places on Earth, according to the BBC. The team behind the show was dedicated to capturing some of these natural wonders in unrivaled detail in ways never seen before. So, if it looks like something totally unreal, it's probably because no one has ever shot nature quite like this before.

How was The Americas filmed?

The BBC, which co-produced The Americas, notes it wanted to create an immersive viewing experience with the series, which meant going to faraway places and getting a look at some of the more difficult-to-see spots within them. The Americas will take viewers up into the sky with helicopters and drones, under the sea with rafts and rebreathers and even underground with computer-controlled camera rigs and 360-degree probe scopes.

In total, roughly 35 camera models were used for specific applications that brought nature to life in The Americas to help tell the story of wildlife in never-before-seen and visually stunning ways."