Earth at Night in Color

Only seen the first episode so far, and the cinematography is gorgeous. But I agree with the reviewer who said it lacked diversity and retained a colonial approach to this kind of documentary, and though I didn't really mind Tom Hiddleston, the pacing was ponderous, and the script itself... oy. Suffocatingly anthropomorphic. eg, the lioness didn't "abandon" her cubs. Why not simply say she is forced to leave them to hunt? It's repeatedly said that the Maasai Mara is "a last refuge", sliding in the indefinite article. Just say it plainly: it's one of the last refuges, don't try to imply it's the only one for effect. This kind of melodramatic narration, which never lets up, should have been replaced by smarter, more informative text. I'm curious to to see Night on Earth now, as that uses similar technology.

Apple TV is throwing its hat into the nature documentary genre. To its credit, it has created something new in this relatively crowded space. There are only a few different situations that isn't saturated with nature documentary crews; the deepest of oceans and the darkest of nights. Sure, there is footage of animals at night. It's usually those night vision or thermal imaging footage. Somehow, they look alien and disconnecting. By seeing it in daylight conditions, this show is revealing new situations with new footage.

Even something old is presented in new ways. In the artificial city lights, this show has peregrine falcons dive bombing little birds against the backdrop of the glowing cityscape. It looks amazing and new. Then there are new animal situations. The predators are a lot closer in the darkness. There are new animals but even old animals have new behavior. I've never seen a herd of wildebeests following cheetahs around. This is narrated by Tom Hiddleston. He fits the nature documentary space in a new way. He is British like the old doc series, but he is still a new yet familiar voice.

How beautiful they shoot this video, truly hats off this amazing documentary.

S2 eps of elephant family and puma family are more in-depth than S 1. The other eps are also mostly focused on a lead animal where viewer can appreciate the huge struggle all wildlife must endure simply to survive on this human planet. The cinematography is exceptional, narration by Tom Hiddleston is also very good, though he is forced to pause at times from director. Tom is a Shakespeare an actor with fantastic speaking abilities. Adults can enjoy this series 2, not just kids. No graphic hunt kill shots. Gorgeous at times, even the tiny lives.

Filmography is fascinating &short footage is good. They're no real story lines, just glimpses in the lead animal life . Wish footage of animals were longer to complete a true storyline instead of 1 or few nights. Tom Hiddleston is a great narrator being a Shakespearean actor, & adds depth instead of distraction/ boredom to the series. Tom should be the "BBC's voice" when Sir David retires, not Paul Rudd.