BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

YourFamilyExpert WHAT'S EARTH ABOUT? 90-minute version of the incredible BBC documentary miniseries Planet Earth.IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: A-) What the film version lacks in the miniseries' thoroughness, it makes up for in a breathless pace that relentlessly transports you all over the world (as any great adventure film should). The footage is, quite simply, some of the most stunning ever captured on film, in any genre.What's more, Earth works as a riveting drama, following three families (polar bears, humpback whales, and African elephants) as they try to survive predators, climate change, and the search for food, over the course of one year. I found myself invested in the survival of these animals as much or more than any fictional character, due at least in part to clever editing and skillful narration by James Earl Jones. The wonder of nature makes for a terrific blockbuster.IS IT OKAY FOR YOUR KIDS? Earth is rated G. There are some moments of animals in peril and some scenes of animals being attacked by predators, though thankfully there is no gory or bloody footage.ANY WORTHWHILE MESSAGES? With perseverance, grit, and teamwork you can survive almost anything.

SnoopyStyle This film is a companion to the BBC TV series Planet Earth. This starts with the polar bears in the North. Spring approaches and the movie moves south with life returning. As the seasons advance, the movie goes further south.Like its TV companion Planet Earth, the cinematography is magnificent. The wildlife and the epic landscape have to be seen. It cannot be described in words. The blue water is so blue. The green leaves are so green. The battle for life is more intense than any work of fiction. The chases are more thrilling than most CGI car chases. Some of my earliest movie memories are National Geographic nature films and I hope some youngsters will have this movie in their memory banks.

Michael Rooster This movie is fun to watch, though one starts to feel kind of voyeuristic soon, watching so many "intimate" moments between animals. I put 'intimate' in quotations, because the script given to James Earl Jones is full of human projections upon the animals with more or less success; at times the captions are far-fetched and detract from the movie; other times, they are hilarious (like with monkeys avoiding getting their hands wet). Hands down, the funniest animal is the bird doing the jumpy wide-wings mating ritual; we couldn't stop laughing.This movie is incredibly sad and in a very un-Disney-like way, leaves a lot of loose ends. I suppose this is the Realism of Nature, yet, the storyboard in the captions makes it nearly traumatic as a viewer (like the baby elephant going the wrong way and the daddy polar bear who dies because of global warming making the ice thin...the same point and animal in CGI in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth). I guess I am very appreciative of the camera-work capturing such beauty, but for strictly an artistic experience, the captions should be dropped and viewers should make their own interpretations (which happens anyway!)

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. Stunning photography highlights this Disney documentary and provides a glimpse into some of the harshness of animals that live in the wilderness. For anyone over 40, Disney and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom provided much of our insight into wild animals since our childhood ... back when there was no channel dedicated to National Geographic or Nature or Animal Planet.What always fascinates is just how difficult the circumstances are for many of these majestic creatures. Watching the elephants trudge for days, nearly delirious from lack of water, is oh so painful. But their nighttime battle against the lions is thrilling.Some of the underwater shots are breathless. The mama and baby humpbacks are beautiful and watching the great white shark attack its prey is every bit as chilling as "Jaws". The most amazing scenery for me was the breathtaking views of the Himalayas. I had never seen such detail of the vastness of the range.Don't think most young kids today will be too excited by this one, but it surely is one of the most beautifully photographed documentaries I have ever seen.