Human Planet
2011
Original language: English
- documentary
The story
A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth.
What it’s like
Wide, unhurried landscape shots dominate this BBC nature series: sweeping aerial views of mountains, deserts, oceans and jungle canopies, often held long enough to let the scale sink in, with the camera drifting slowly over terrain before settling on people working within it. Light shifts from hard tropical sun to misty dawn and low golden evening, and the color palette is rich and saturated, greens, ochres and deep blues. Sound is full and cinematic: ambient field recordings of wind, surf and animal calls, backed by a sweeping orchestral score that swells at moments of triumph and tension. Pacing is measured and episodic, with each segment following a community or a hunter over a stretch of time rather than rushing toward a conclusion. Intensity is low: danger appears as weather, cold, and wild animals, with brief tension in hunts and climbs but no gore and little cruelty. The overall register is awe and quiet admiration. It suits a slow weekend afternoon, a calm evening, or background viewing while cooking, and fits viewers who want to feel humbled by nature and by the ingenuity of people who live closely within it.
More TV shows like Human Planet
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Human Planetand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
