Earth: Movie Review (2009)

Written and directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, 89 minutes, rated G.

For fans of the BBC's excellent "Planet Earth" series, the new Disney film, "Earth," feels carved from parts of it--and for good reason. This beautifully shot movie is produced by the BBC, among a host of others, and their influence is felt throughout--even if a good deal of the detail and depth they usually bring to such projects is lacking in this effort.

Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield direct, and what they created is a nature documentary that doesn't come close to achieving the sheer power of “Planet Earth,” nor does it best other nature documentaries, such as the magnificent "Microcosmos," “March of the Penguins” and "Winged Migration,” each of which is a must for those seeking a shot of substance in their Netflix queue.

That said, “Earth” still is satisfying on many levels, not the least of which is that a good deal of its focus is on climate change and how that very real problem is affecting Earth and its inhabitants.

In the Arctic, for instance, where the polar ice cap is melting at a dangerous rate, the movie worries about what this means for the polar bear, which relies on the ice sheet to support its weight as it goes in search of food. If that sheet melts too early in the season, those bears become endangered, which is what happens in the movie just as it’s happening now.

In lieu of Sir David Attenborough, who narrated “Planet Earth,” James Earl Jones narrates here, and he’s just fine, even if some of the lines he’s given to read don’t exactly give themselves over to the intelligence or the insight Attenborough enjoyed. But this is, after all, a Disney film--and one with children in mind--so it’s best to just go with it and appreciate the imagery, which is just as rich and as stunning as anything you’d expect from the BBC, which has some of the world’s finest cinematographers.

Plunging with deceptive ease into the Earth’s nooks and crannies, the movie raises questions (and awe) about how the filmmakers captured certain shots. For instance, when a Great White Shark leaps from the ocean to snatch a seal in its jaws, the combination of luck and skill possessed by the filmmakers is right there on the screen, with the moment slowed down to such a degree, you watch in pity for the seal, but also in admiration that this unique shot now is in the archives.

Other scenes also resonate, such as the struggle of elephants to find water before dehydration defeats them. Later, across continents in New Guinea, the showy pluck of a bird of paradise is at once comic and surreal. If RuPaul was a bird, surely he would be the one on display here.

Scenes of cute ducklings and penguins abound, which intentionally recall Disney’s nature films of the past. Some of us grew up on those films, which today’s parents should know weren’t as graphic as what’s presented here.

Young prey fall hard in this movie, often due to a predator’s outstretched claw. As difficult as those moments can be to watch, they’re at least honest, which in the end helps to deepen the movie in spite of its flaws and the fact that it never fully develops its global warming angle. In “Earth,” you come away grateful for experiencing something new about the world you likely wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Grade: B

View the trailer for "Earth" here: