Earth: The Biography is a National Geographic produced television show about the most significant natural phenomena and changes our planet has been through since it came to existence over four billion years ago.
The DVD aims to describe the most fundamental forces on our planet. The premise behind the two-hour show is to prove that the various cataclysms and catastrophes Earth had undergone in the distant past, and continues to experience today, are of a two-fold nature: on the one hand, they destroy, but on the other they create new environmental conditions – those that can support life.
For example, earthquakes may kill and maim people, but they also push the surface of the land upwards, preventing the rivers from washing all the soil into the sea – essentially keeping the ground above the water and allowing us to walk and flourish on firm terrain. Earth: The Biography proves that destruction is also a part of nature, and, as such, is natural. This is an honest scientific approach that takes an objective stance, even if it proves to be harsh.
The show covers four main topics: volcanoes, oceans, ice and atmosphere. The leaps it takes are of geological scale – millions and billions of years back and forth – which is necessary to encompass some of the discussed phenomena, such as, for instance, climate shifts. The benefit of such time travel is that we are often presented with theories that explain fully how natural phenomena start, how they develop and, eventually, decline into obscurity.
Like most nature shows, Earth: The Biography rarely uses special effects, though some computer generated imaging occasionally illustrates what is being narrated. Spectacular footages – of melting lava at night, of underwater life, of birds-eye views of entire regions – all accompanied by engaging narration make for an effect that goes beyond “special.”
The host, Ian Stewart, travels across continents, landing in such locations as Ethiopia and Iceland and speaks in an energetic baritone that will entrance children. Stewart's Scottish accent may initially sound somewhat alien, an impression that will dissipate after only few minutes of watching.
Overall, National Geographic's Earth: The Biography can be a great supplement to the essential BBC Planet Earth production – and it holds its own. This is a fully-fledged production with rich educational and entertainment value, for children and adults alike.