Planeta pré-histórico

The production and animation quality is top notch. The stories told are moving, funny, surprising, informative. Felt like I traveled back in time. The extra features -- 5 or 6 short videos -- which show "the science behind the stories" is also worth a look.

If you enjoyed the 2002 BBC primetime programs, Walking with Dinosaurs and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, then you're going to LOVE this new 2022 Apple TV series, Prehistoric Planet, convincingly narrated by David Attenborough.

Let's be clear - Prehistoric Planet is a combination of state-of-the-art imaging technology and speculation. Since human beings were not around to actually witness and document the appearance and activities of dinosaurs, series like these need to utilize a certain amount of "discretionary imagination." And that's OK, because unless we someday discover a way to grow living dinosaurs from DNA (as in Jurassic Park), we'll simply have to rely on fossilized skeletons to help us form a reasonable picture of what dinosaurs must have looked like 66 million years ago. And as Attenborough explains, Prehistoric Planet leverages what Paleontologists have learned about dinosaurs thus far. Case in point, in the 1993 film, Jurassic Park, Velociraptors looked much different than the ones portrayed in this 2022 series. These Velociraptors have broad tails and feathers!

What I like about Prehistoric Planet is that we get to see these extinct creatures behaving like genuine animals, and not terrible monsters. These dinosaurs protect their young from predators, a behavior seen in higher life forms such as dolphins and elephants. And more so, we get to have a deeper understanding of why dinosaurs were able to flourish and thrive virtually unabated for millions of years. Perhaps we Homo Sapiens can learn a few things about adaptation and survival from our very distant cousins.

As usual no spoilers here, but I will reveal that "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau wanted the production to have the look and feel of a theatrical blockbuster, with an educational component woven throughout it.

Is there anything better than settling in with a cup of tea and a nature show narrated by David Attenborough?!??? YES. Yes there is.

A DINOSAUR nature show narrated by David Attenborough.

'Nuf said.

I'll keep it short: The visuals are nearly perfectly photorealistic, especially the animations deserve all the praise they can get. On top of that the sound design is really strong. Both are extra supported by an amazing soundtrack.

The documentary style is pleasant to watch but the hopping from one short story to the next doesn't leave the same impact as when we'd follow one dinosaur for a longer time.

The accuracy of certain scenes is questionable. Some speculation is easily passed of as fact.

These two tiny points keep this series from being a 10 for me. But it is still an incredible series, one that I'll surely revisit many times in the coming years. I hope it does well because even though the first season hasn't fully finished airing, I already want a second one.

I am basing this little review off the first episode alone; it looks amazing. All of the animals behave in believable ways, and it's cool to see many creatures that we never have before. Although not explicitly spelled out for any slow audience members, it's clear alot of research and (very well educated) guesswork went into the series. There is a section to explain the science of some of the claims presented in the show, for anyone who has a hard time believing what their seeing as well. 9/10 CGI is choppy every once in a while when ocean creatures breach the water surface.