As co-directed by Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill, and narrated by the eminent
Patrick Stewart (I, Claudius), the nature documentary Earth represents an edited-down version of the 12-hour small screen miniseries
Planet Earth, re-slated for cinematic release. The program provides a sweeping, 99-minute tour of our home planet's biosphere -- spanning every level of gaze, from the epic (crystal-clear shots of the Earth hovering in space) to the hyper-specific (a mother polar bear and her cubs waking from a lengthy period of hibernation). The film almost exclusively emphasizes the behavior of the animal populations that inhabit the Earth, yet carefully omits of shots that depict the more gory predatory behavior of species, rendering it family friendly. It also employs a chronological approach - beginning in January in the Arctic wilderness, and moving progressively through the four seasons and twelve months comprising a single year, until it hits late December, the program contrasts various geographic regions of the Earth as shot in various seasons. Above all else, a cautionary message underscores this footage: as in
An Inconvenient Truth, the filmmakers continually remind their audience that despite the grandiloquence present onscreen, all may be lost if mankind is not careful. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide