This show is absolutely great involving many famous individuals from the science community and unbelievably fun cgi's. It's nice and simple for people just interested in understanding the basics cause in reality most people just don't know or understand much about our world, science, the universe,. They stray from getting to complex or into detail about subjects that people would normally find very confusing. It's by far one of the best shows for introducing people to the fun of the universe and science. They cover all the planets, our solar system, black holes, Galaxy's, the earth, moon, and much much more. I'm not only ecstatic that they have a 3rd season but impressed cause i thought they'd run out of material by now, but then again... were talking about the universe here:p
31 Reviews
Awesome show with lots of passion.
aggie113827 June 2008
If you agree with the first reviewer's comments, then I guess I'm a 12 year old. I do not believe this series was geared toward the "professors" of the world but average normal people who can relate to terms like "super sonic speed".
The CG visuals are awesome and give you a real image of what they are trying to explain more than any 2d pictures taken by HST could ever help. The scientist an people involved in the show have a real love and passion for what they are saying and make the show genuine and very appealing.
All in all I love this show and think it is worth watching when ever it's on, but I'm no professor emeritus and I'm not cool enough to have a "power off switch" on my T.V.
So if your a 12 year old at heart like me, then you will really like this show!
The CG visuals are awesome and give you a real image of what they are trying to explain more than any 2d pictures taken by HST could ever help. The scientist an people involved in the show have a real love and passion for what they are saying and make the show genuine and very appealing.
All in all I love this show and think it is worth watching when ever it's on, but I'm no professor emeritus and I'm not cool enough to have a "power off switch" on my T.V.
So if your a 12 year old at heart like me, then you will really like this show!
Astronomy? Beginner? This is for you!
Simon-eriksson-kanel-1994 September 2010
It really feels like the understand. Why? Because what i was looking for was a show that could teach me about the big damn universe. And so far, it really has. The only problem is, I've gotten addicted, and now i want around 600 episodes, not 50.
Since i have already finished all the seasons, i have had to watch them all over again! Which is great, coz documentaries like this, is not like movies. Good movies you watch once. Great movies you watch twice. Favorite movie, you watch until you hate it. But a show like this, you never stop with! So much fact, some simplified so all can learn and understand!
I love the space. It's big, and i want to learn more about it! This show has helped my understand so much! So. Do you like space? Do you like astronomy? Well then, you should really, really watch this show! It is so great!
Give it a chance, and you will be truly amazed by the show's quality.
Since i have already finished all the seasons, i have had to watch them all over again! Which is great, coz documentaries like this, is not like movies. Good movies you watch once. Great movies you watch twice. Favorite movie, you watch until you hate it. But a show like this, you never stop with! So much fact, some simplified so all can learn and understand!
I love the space. It's big, and i want to learn more about it! This show has helped my understand so much! So. Do you like space? Do you like astronomy? Well then, you should really, really watch this show! It is so great!
Give it a chance, and you will be truly amazed by the show's quality.
The Universe has never been prettier on TV
TombRaider0922 May 2011
History Channel's "The Universe" is a documentary series that fuels its somewhat empty content with blazingly beautiful CGI of the most spectacular sights in the universe. The series covers stars, planets, cosmic weather (!), terra-formation, dark matter and the aggressive nature of the cosmos in hour-long episodes of visual effect candy.
The hook of the series is that you get to take a look at what Venus, Neptune or a nebula or a meteoroid strike on Earth would look like up- close, while the narrator explains the "science" behind it. I say "the science" because very little science is usually covered. Any complicated phenomena is usually explained through real-life analogies. A meteorite crashing the Earth is like shooting a ball with a rifle. The crater can be measured by drawing an analogy of throwing a weight plate on sand and measuring the width of the bump on the beach. And so on.
Then again, this series is not aiming to educate the experts or even science enthusiasts. It's written for the laymen, who just want to see what Venus looks like if you were standing on its ground. On high definition, those images are quite impressive and grab your attention.
Unfortunately, those images are continuously recycled, for probably no other than budgetary reasons. But images aren't the only reused on the show. Every time the show goes on a short commercial break, the narrator insists on recapping what happened just before the break. As if no one could remember the very easily comprehensible bits they had just been told a few minutes ago. In many ways, the series undermines the audience's intelligence and even memory by recapping and reusing its material over and over.
In fact, every season of the series contains at least one episode dedicating to apocalyptic events that wreak havoc on Earth, recycling the same scenarios over and over while adding a few new ones, even going as far as reusing the same narrations!
Regardless, while the Universe is admittedly a little dumb and condescendingly so, the imagery is sometimes truly astonishing. The CGI, of course, is nowhere near what many modern films, such as "2012" or even the "new" Star Wars films have accomplished, but for the small screen on high definition, it's pretty impressive.
And on the bright side, it is really exciting to see what Venus or a pulsar looks like, even if you get to see the same image about a hundred times. Its greatest virtue is its entertainment value. While its greatest vice is the lack of science, the series does introduce the audience to the basic ideas of the newest and hottest theories of contemporary astrophysics and related sciences and find out more by hitting the nearest university library.
The hook of the series is that you get to take a look at what Venus, Neptune or a nebula or a meteoroid strike on Earth would look like up- close, while the narrator explains the "science" behind it. I say "the science" because very little science is usually covered. Any complicated phenomena is usually explained through real-life analogies. A meteorite crashing the Earth is like shooting a ball with a rifle. The crater can be measured by drawing an analogy of throwing a weight plate on sand and measuring the width of the bump on the beach. And so on.
Then again, this series is not aiming to educate the experts or even science enthusiasts. It's written for the laymen, who just want to see what Venus looks like if you were standing on its ground. On high definition, those images are quite impressive and grab your attention.
Unfortunately, those images are continuously recycled, for probably no other than budgetary reasons. But images aren't the only reused on the show. Every time the show goes on a short commercial break, the narrator insists on recapping what happened just before the break. As if no one could remember the very easily comprehensible bits they had just been told a few minutes ago. In many ways, the series undermines the audience's intelligence and even memory by recapping and reusing its material over and over.
In fact, every season of the series contains at least one episode dedicating to apocalyptic events that wreak havoc on Earth, recycling the same scenarios over and over while adding a few new ones, even going as far as reusing the same narrations!
Regardless, while the Universe is admittedly a little dumb and condescendingly so, the imagery is sometimes truly astonishing. The CGI, of course, is nowhere near what many modern films, such as "2012" or even the "new" Star Wars films have accomplished, but for the small screen on high definition, it's pretty impressive.
And on the bright side, it is really exciting to see what Venus or a pulsar looks like, even if you get to see the same image about a hundred times. Its greatest virtue is its entertainment value. While its greatest vice is the lack of science, the series does introduce the audience to the basic ideas of the newest and hottest theories of contemporary astrophysics and related sciences and find out more by hitting the nearest university library.
Interesting and fun to watch
StargateQAZ24 June 2010
Okay, first of all, after reading all these reviews I could't help myself but to write something as well.
So...some people say it's good for kids and unintelligent and uneducated people. I must say...throw that comments in to garbage! Why? Because even if I'm not to physics I can certainly see that this is not too much filled with scientific terms and ways of explanation. That is a fact and that is on spot, but...let me say one more thing. This series are made for wide range of people, not for astronomers and physicists to learn something new or to improve their research. It's meant to show us random people some interesting facts, about astronomy and universe overall and potentially get some of us in to the world of science.
I, for example am a 3D & visual effects specialist and I could easily say, that the visual effects here are mediocre and not something special at all, because that is my profession and I see it. But okay, that goes for me and other VE experts, but random people who are not in to computer graphics will say..."wooow what a stunning graphics and visuals, mind blowing animation and effects, i'm totally blown away." while I'll sit there mumbling "damn, they could've done this a lot better". That's okay, that does not mean they're blind for esthetics and dumb not to make a difference between good and mediocre when they see it. It's just that CG is not their field of interests and they're not learning and researching that field such as us CG (computer graphics) artists do, so they can't tell about processes of creating CG, how it's done, how it could've been done, what could be made better, etc.
Same goes for other people who are saying that this is dumb. Dear people, not all of us here are scientists. If you are a physicists and find it dumb...not all of us will think the same. If you want to discover something new, go do a research, make a discovery for yourself instead of making one-sided comments.
Assuming you've never done CG before. Would you understand me if I start explaining it to you now and immediately start with: mental ray renderer, rendering algorithms, global illumination, final-gathering setup, FG points cashing, reactor scripting, mesh exporting, material map ID setting, channel setting, texture scaling, keying, camera tracking, 3D tracking, setting up key velocity, curve editing, animation controllers, etc, etc, etc, etc.....and you've never even heard for any of the CG making softwares. I doubt it, no matter how intelligent you might be.
So for the conclusion and for recommendations...Do watch this show if you're into something new, if you want to find out interesting and fun stuff about cosmos and astronomy and ignore those who are saying that this is for lowbrainers. You're not dumb if you like to watch this. I'm 26 years old, a member of MENSA with an IQ of 148, and I find this show fun and interesting a lot ;-)
So cheers and enjoy :-)
So...some people say it's good for kids and unintelligent and uneducated people. I must say...throw that comments in to garbage! Why? Because even if I'm not to physics I can certainly see that this is not too much filled with scientific terms and ways of explanation. That is a fact and that is on spot, but...let me say one more thing. This series are made for wide range of people, not for astronomers and physicists to learn something new or to improve their research. It's meant to show us random people some interesting facts, about astronomy and universe overall and potentially get some of us in to the world of science.
I, for example am a 3D & visual effects specialist and I could easily say, that the visual effects here are mediocre and not something special at all, because that is my profession and I see it. But okay, that goes for me and other VE experts, but random people who are not in to computer graphics will say..."wooow what a stunning graphics and visuals, mind blowing animation and effects, i'm totally blown away." while I'll sit there mumbling "damn, they could've done this a lot better". That's okay, that does not mean they're blind for esthetics and dumb not to make a difference between good and mediocre when they see it. It's just that CG is not their field of interests and they're not learning and researching that field such as us CG (computer graphics) artists do, so they can't tell about processes of creating CG, how it's done, how it could've been done, what could be made better, etc.
Same goes for other people who are saying that this is dumb. Dear people, not all of us here are scientists. If you are a physicists and find it dumb...not all of us will think the same. If you want to discover something new, go do a research, make a discovery for yourself instead of making one-sided comments.
Assuming you've never done CG before. Would you understand me if I start explaining it to you now and immediately start with: mental ray renderer, rendering algorithms, global illumination, final-gathering setup, FG points cashing, reactor scripting, mesh exporting, material map ID setting, channel setting, texture scaling, keying, camera tracking, 3D tracking, setting up key velocity, curve editing, animation controllers, etc, etc, etc, etc.....and you've never even heard for any of the CG making softwares. I doubt it, no matter how intelligent you might be.
So for the conclusion and for recommendations...Do watch this show if you're into something new, if you want to find out interesting and fun stuff about cosmos and astronomy and ignore those who are saying that this is for lowbrainers. You're not dumb if you like to watch this. I'm 26 years old, a member of MENSA with an IQ of 148, and I find this show fun and interesting a lot ;-)
So cheers and enjoy :-)
Excellent Series
derekobrien1978-712-54955127 July 2013
I've always had a keen interest in the wonders of the universe and I found this series to be very informative and well put together. No matter how 'out there' the subject matter, the show always stays interesting. Having watched almost all episodes up to the end of season 3 (and looking forward to seasons 4-7) I can highly recommend this series to anyone - especially those who know nothing about the universe. Don't be daunted by the physics or terminology - this show is only concerned with educating people about the incredible wonders of our universe in such a way that Joe Blogs can understand and enjoy. Not dumbed down, as some people have said, but user friendly.
Superb
wolfen2447 February 2009
This series is obviously a serious winner. It makes you think and although it merely touches on different subjects rather than going into heavy depth the explanations are enough to get the point across. Each interview with each astronomer and scientist is short and attention-getting. The proofs for different theories are shown in non-mathematical terms - except for the "billions of billions" thing which can get on your nerves a little because without math then you almost have to take their word for things. Even the scientists make a few blunders by confusing exponential with geometric or the classic confusing literal with figurative which every journalist does all the time but those are small items.
One interesting item from this series is the constant use of the term "global warming" which even taken in the context of this great series is laughable because in the same sentence a liberal scientist brings it up he explains that the sun has far more influence on the weather than the mere pittance man contributes as they obviously mean man-made global warming as opposed to what nature does. So obviously the makers of this series have bought into this bizarre hoax that makes a few people rich at the American tax payers' expense. That's the reason I can't give it a 10/10.
Otherwise I highly recommend this series. Again, it's superb.
One interesting item from this series is the constant use of the term "global warming" which even taken in the context of this great series is laughable because in the same sentence a liberal scientist brings it up he explains that the sun has far more influence on the weather than the mere pittance man contributes as they obviously mean man-made global warming as opposed to what nature does. So obviously the makers of this series have bought into this bizarre hoax that makes a few people rich at the American tax payers' expense. That's the reason I can't give it a 10/10.
Otherwise I highly recommend this series. Again, it's superb.
I'll have my kids watch this.
MoistMovies8 November 2019
It's the perfect type of documentary series that you could explain even with very limited personal knowledge of science to a kid. And at the same time for people with basic to medium knowledge of science it's still a incredibly well done and informative series.
I was 20 when this series started. And it really broke apart the terrible experiences I had at highschool with learning the science/astronomy/physics. A really great piece of material.
One of the best of it's kind
the_sarpo5 July 2011
Tastes about movies or series or music is relative, as most of us accept. But The Universe offers such lots of unique elements, explanations and examples that you feel like you have to accept the quality of this masterpiece...
Even anyone with the slightest idea about what's going on in the universe can understand what these guys talking about. This is itself an enough reason to take a look at this series.
A warning from someone who watched and appreciated The Universe series, you are going to get some really solid answers that you've been looking for throughout your life about our universe.
If you are not some kind of a religious freak, you will see the reasonable and scientific explanations from scientists within this series and accept them. But I suggest you to stay away from The Universe if you will continue speculating your ridiculous religious dogmatics even after experiencing this masterpiece!
If you watch episode 14 of the first season, Beyond the Big Bang, you'll understand what I'm trying to say. Definitely a must see!!!
Even anyone with the slightest idea about what's going on in the universe can understand what these guys talking about. This is itself an enough reason to take a look at this series.
A warning from someone who watched and appreciated The Universe series, you are going to get some really solid answers that you've been looking for throughout your life about our universe.
If you are not some kind of a religious freak, you will see the reasonable and scientific explanations from scientists within this series and accept them. But I suggest you to stay away from The Universe if you will continue speculating your ridiculous religious dogmatics even after experiencing this masterpiece!
If you watch episode 14 of the first season, Beyond the Big Bang, you'll understand what I'm trying to say. Definitely a must see!!!
Cosmos made simple !!!
maxsjohn23 November 2022
One of the best series I've watched.
It's one of those series where you feel you made good use of your time .
If you are a humble nature lover then you will definitely like it . Do not expect you gonna be NASA astronaut after watching this . Just enjoy the show and be grateful to Nature.
The series has good audio and visual.
It's a good watch with family and kids .
I watched it in 77 inch OLED tv and was mind blown by the sound and graphics.
Binged watched this because it was very interesting.
Will definitely watch it again .
The narrator has awesome job in keeping the viewers engaged to the show.
It's one of those series where you feel you made good use of your time .
If you are a humble nature lover then you will definitely like it . Do not expect you gonna be NASA astronaut after watching this . Just enjoy the show and be grateful to Nature.
The series has good audio and visual.
It's a good watch with family and kids .
I watched it in 77 inch OLED tv and was mind blown by the sound and graphics.
Binged watched this because it was very interesting.
Will definitely watch it again .
The narrator has awesome job in keeping the viewers engaged to the show.
Popular science often leaning more towards fiction than facts.
jvanhalderen14 August 2009
This series started out quite nice. It starts with a tour of our own solar system of which we have a learned a lot in the last years. For those people who have a passion for astronomy/cosmology, not a lot of new information is presented. However, the manner in which they present it is refreshing and also entertaining.
The problem however starts in season 2. As the 'known' subjects have been discussed in the first season, the second season struggles in finding educational scientific materials. Instead they start leaning towards fiction and speculation more and more. Subjects as 'Sex in space', 'Alien faces' that contain no educational information at all. These episodes felt to me like a poor attempt to put nowadays teenagers drama and fantasy into a scientific perspective just to get a higher audience, an audience who will never comprehend the actual real science behind studies like these.
The scientific community has made it a point on their agenda to make science, in particular astronomy, cosmology and theoretical science more accessible to the general public. An action I totally support. However, showing nice CGI's, some enthusiastic scientists that seem to care more about their own popularity then real science, in this case, gives a wrong idea about what we actually do and do not know.
The show contains a lot of solid information but also a lot of speculations and should not be presented as fact or as general accepted theories.
For those people who are interested in the science part, I would recommend watching "National Geographic's Journey to the Edge of the Universe". A stunning documentary also with mind blowing CGI's and very understandable for any person.
Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1363109/
The problem however starts in season 2. As the 'known' subjects have been discussed in the first season, the second season struggles in finding educational scientific materials. Instead they start leaning towards fiction and speculation more and more. Subjects as 'Sex in space', 'Alien faces' that contain no educational information at all. These episodes felt to me like a poor attempt to put nowadays teenagers drama and fantasy into a scientific perspective just to get a higher audience, an audience who will never comprehend the actual real science behind studies like these.
The scientific community has made it a point on their agenda to make science, in particular astronomy, cosmology and theoretical science more accessible to the general public. An action I totally support. However, showing nice CGI's, some enthusiastic scientists that seem to care more about their own popularity then real science, in this case, gives a wrong idea about what we actually do and do not know.
The show contains a lot of solid information but also a lot of speculations and should not be presented as fact or as general accepted theories.
For those people who are interested in the science part, I would recommend watching "National Geographic's Journey to the Edge of the Universe". A stunning documentary also with mind blowing CGI's and very understandable for any person.
Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1363109/
Disappointing
pjcanfield25 November 2011
For what is a promising title with a multitude of episodes spanning so many seasons I found myself cringing at how incredibly "dumbed down" the content was.
Analogy has a place for getting across "out of this world" concepts but this is ridiculous! This series says more about the USA and American culture than it informs about the title matter. I mean really, how many melodramatic and inept analogies using guns, speeding bullets or that standard international unit of the "football field" need to be employed.
The failure ultimately lies with the editors/producers whose expertise evidently only extends as far as "what sells" as there is no sense that they have any real appreciation for the subject matter.
It is possible to make a documentary such that the "ordinary man" can understand it and yet not avoid using words with more than 3 syllables and resorting to cheap and inappropriate attention grabbers. Set the bar higher people...
Analogy has a place for getting across "out of this world" concepts but this is ridiculous! This series says more about the USA and American culture than it informs about the title matter. I mean really, how many melodramatic and inept analogies using guns, speeding bullets or that standard international unit of the "football field" need to be employed.
The failure ultimately lies with the editors/producers whose expertise evidently only extends as far as "what sells" as there is no sense that they have any real appreciation for the subject matter.
It is possible to make a documentary such that the "ordinary man" can understand it and yet not avoid using words with more than 3 syllables and resorting to cheap and inappropriate attention grabbers. Set the bar higher people...
Great content. Terrible editing
mikaelhatzis17 August 2021
Towards the end of the series the editor wanted us to have epileptic fits. The flares and high velocity movement really spoiled the content. How could they spoil something really good. Still worth watching but take your anti emetics.
Too Sensationalist and Dumbed Down
winstonsmith_848 September 2009
This program must have been made for the Joe Bloe uneducated TV viewer. Most of the time, the information being presented is not new or interesting, and it feels as if the writers & producers of the show had to fill up a large time slot with very little source material. So what you get is a bunch of information repetitively going on and on about how "dangerous" gamma ray bursts are, or how imminent asteroid collisions are, blah blah blah. Yes, we all know about these things, but the way the program makes you sit through an hour meagerly trying to make you sit on the edge of your seat for a statistic of like 1 in a billion billion (as seen with the gamma ray bursts) that the Earth will be destroyed by some calamity. Yes, we know already! They could have been done with it in 5 minutes, but no, it's stretched to an hour long program! The sensationalism of this program is just too over-the-top, from the drawn-out "fear factor" bits, to the announcer's XTREME TRUCKS style voice. They obviously should have saved him for the Monster Truck series...
Another thing that bothered me were all the "analogies" that took away from the true dynamics of how certain things in the universe work. For example, dropping a Yogurt container to show how a death star works... or a sprinkler for showing how a spiral star is. While these are "cute" they are indeed more annoying than useful, and assumes a real lack of intelligence of the viewer. Just tell us the science behind it without treating us like 5 year olds.
It really is a shame. This program could have been so much more informative and hosted by a much better narrator (writers are to blame too, of course). There are indeed moments where I laughed out loud because of how dumb the narrator's comments were.
On the bright side, however, the computer effects were done well enough. It is an interesting subject, so that's why I gave it a 5. But all in all, terribly done for such a great topic.
Another thing that bothered me were all the "analogies" that took away from the true dynamics of how certain things in the universe work. For example, dropping a Yogurt container to show how a death star works... or a sprinkler for showing how a spiral star is. While these are "cute" they are indeed more annoying than useful, and assumes a real lack of intelligence of the viewer. Just tell us the science behind it without treating us like 5 year olds.
It really is a shame. This program could have been so much more informative and hosted by a much better narrator (writers are to blame too, of course). There are indeed moments where I laughed out loud because of how dumb the narrator's comments were.
On the bright side, however, the computer effects were done well enough. It is an interesting subject, so that's why I gave it a 5. But all in all, terribly done for such a great topic.
Almost Lost in Space
Sonatine975 April 2020
Having been brought up on Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" programme from way back in the early 1980s, I have to say that "The Universe" does a fine job of informing and entertaining to a wide demographic audience.
As an amateur astronomer myself, I do feel the same kind of "mild irritation" some other reviewers highlighted here regarding the over-use of simple analogies and "dumbing down". But there lies the rub for the producers of the show: how to broaden the scientific appeal to those who are just curious about how the universe works!
Some episodes do require a lot of concentration, even with the use of analogies, given the subject matter (Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Quasars and Pulsars etc), and even I had difficulty trying to understand what was being said by the eminent scientists in the show. But the broad use of CGI and the way some of the astronomers in the show tried to strip away some of the technobabble certainly helped.
The only other mild criticism I would have with shows like this is the narration. I do prefer shows with an on-screen presenter rather than just a talking-head narrating from a studio. Carl Sagan spoke to camera, as does Michael Cox ("Wonders of the Solar System", "Wonders of the Universe"). I always feel more attached to the show with these guys probably because they add emotion to what they're saying, and you feel part of that.
I have just started watching "How The Universe Works", and after only 6 episodes in, I can say that it stands out more than this show, which seems to have ran out of steam after only 3 seasons.
Still worth watching, but it does feel like its more about quantity over quality.
As an amateur astronomer myself, I do feel the same kind of "mild irritation" some other reviewers highlighted here regarding the over-use of simple analogies and "dumbing down". But there lies the rub for the producers of the show: how to broaden the scientific appeal to those who are just curious about how the universe works!
Some episodes do require a lot of concentration, even with the use of analogies, given the subject matter (Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Quasars and Pulsars etc), and even I had difficulty trying to understand what was being said by the eminent scientists in the show. But the broad use of CGI and the way some of the astronomers in the show tried to strip away some of the technobabble certainly helped.
The only other mild criticism I would have with shows like this is the narration. I do prefer shows with an on-screen presenter rather than just a talking-head narrating from a studio. Carl Sagan spoke to camera, as does Michael Cox ("Wonders of the Solar System", "Wonders of the Universe"). I always feel more attached to the show with these guys probably because they add emotion to what they're saying, and you feel part of that.
I have just started watching "How The Universe Works", and after only 6 episodes in, I can say that it stands out more than this show, which seems to have ran out of steam after only 3 seasons.
Still worth watching, but it does feel like its more about quantity over quality.
The Universe or The Fairy tales?
vildemorken20 November 2010
My views are already well presented in the first review of this title. But what I will say to those of you who argue that it really is a great show for those who are not familiar with astronomy and physics, it's not. And I want to warn off 12 year old kids as well, more than others, they might be watching it thinking this comet with 99.9% chance of NOT crashing into earth is something worth worrying about.
As others also have written, this series rely more on sensationalism than actual science, and I find it hard to believe these educated astronomers would actually have anything to do with this War of the Worlds fiction. As they spit out random theory after theory, I find myself with my palm to my forehead more often than I'm actually intrigued.
If the argument for watching this is that it's supposedly easy and understandable to "beginners of astronomy", then I strongly recommend watching Wonders of the Solar System in stead. It's a BBC production with professor Brian Cox as the presenter. Note that although he actually is a professor in particle physics, he still explains everything in simple terms without sounding like the voice-over for action trailers. Also, the imagery and animations in this series are beautiful, not like The Universe's cheap Hollywood production.
As others also have written, this series rely more on sensationalism than actual science, and I find it hard to believe these educated astronomers would actually have anything to do with this War of the Worlds fiction. As they spit out random theory after theory, I find myself with my palm to my forehead more often than I'm actually intrigued.
If the argument for watching this is that it's supposedly easy and understandable to "beginners of astronomy", then I strongly recommend watching Wonders of the Solar System in stead. It's a BBC production with professor Brian Cox as the presenter. Note that although he actually is a professor in particle physics, he still explains everything in simple terms without sounding like the voice-over for action trailers. Also, the imagery and animations in this series are beautiful, not like The Universe's cheap Hollywood production.
Overly American and shlocky
tamo4915 November 2020
I knew this would reek of American cheese as soon as the voice over kicked in.
Episode one decided that the best way to understand gravitational mass was to use a goth astronomers hobby of belly dancing fire twirling and thus stripped her down to her bra and added some sort of, I don't know, science?
Yeah bro
Get Professor Brian Cox on the phone and have him remake this whole show.
Episode one decided that the best way to understand gravitational mass was to use a goth astronomers hobby of belly dancing fire twirling and thus stripped her down to her bra and added some sort of, I don't know, science?
Yeah bro
Get Professor Brian Cox on the phone and have him remake this whole show.
Mediocre animation and far too military, not science at all.
daxx-11 July 2010
As a lover of science, this series was a complete and utter disappointment.
It was about what in the universe can harm or kill us, what we would have to do to stop it, or kill it, Armageddon, the last days of the universe, our last days on earth, who can kill us and how we could kill them, how the sun can kill us, how the moon can kill us if we were to ever loose it, life and death of a star, the most dangerous places, how ET can kill us, and on and on.
It was as if it was written and directed by George Bush and Dick Cheyney.
There WAS science in it, there even was some animation. But truth be told, there wasn't a lot of good science... just pure sensationalism. Most of it was about how we could die, might die, may die, will die; and how the dinosaurs probably died, theoretically died, we think they died.
And the graphics... they were middle of the road and far too many of them. If this was a surgery breakfast cereal, the mediocre animation was the sugar. Far too much of it and with no nutritional value.
There are far better shows on the universe out there that will actually teach you something. This was not one of them.
It was about what in the universe can harm or kill us, what we would have to do to stop it, or kill it, Armageddon, the last days of the universe, our last days on earth, who can kill us and how we could kill them, how the sun can kill us, how the moon can kill us if we were to ever loose it, life and death of a star, the most dangerous places, how ET can kill us, and on and on.
It was as if it was written and directed by George Bush and Dick Cheyney.
There WAS science in it, there even was some animation. But truth be told, there wasn't a lot of good science... just pure sensationalism. Most of it was about how we could die, might die, may die, will die; and how the dinosaurs probably died, theoretically died, we think they died.
And the graphics... they were middle of the road and far too many of them. If this was a surgery breakfast cereal, the mediocre animation was the sugar. Far too much of it and with no nutritional value.
There are far better shows on the universe out there that will actually teach you something. This was not one of them.
Hopefully this series will inspire young people to learn more about science
wornstones8 September 2014
I notice there are a few reviewers who think this series is silly and overly dramatic, and I have to agree with them. I'm not a scientist, but I do love science, and there are never enough GOOD science programs on TV, as far as I'm concerned. The History Channel is part of a conglomerate of entertainment media (not educational), and I have a feeling that the goal of this series (and most others on this channel) IS to excite and entertain AND introduce the importance of science in our lives to those people who think science doesn't affect them. It is like a high-action Sci-Fi movie, except that it's based on fact, but with a lot of special affects and dramatic dialog to attract those who think science is dull. Compared to some of the programming that PBS and Smithsonian channel puts out, this is less informative and designed for a less collegiate crowd, but if it can get a young person interested in going into a field of science and going in the direction of college, I say, "Bravo!"
Sensationalist and far too annoying
leducjjr18 March 2011
I had great hopes for this but only made it through 4 of season one's episodes before giving it the sack.
The voice-over dialogue and sensationalist announcements is better suited to "Cops" TV show than a proper science programme.
Understood the History Channel is competing with shows on MTV, Comedy Central, and Spike TV and this is painfully evident.
Had to switch this off during the "Inner Planets" segment where Venus is referred to as Earth's "Evil Twin", the inner planets were described as "planets gone bad" and Earth's "Global Warming" conclusion is based off analysis of Venus' atmosphere... complete with hippie scientist with funky ear-ring.
The voice-over dialogue and sensationalist announcements is better suited to "Cops" TV show than a proper science programme.
Understood the History Channel is competing with shows on MTV, Comedy Central, and Spike TV and this is painfully evident.
Had to switch this off during the "Inner Planets" segment where Venus is referred to as Earth's "Evil Twin", the inner planets were described as "planets gone bad" and Earth's "Global Warming" conclusion is based off analysis of Venus' atmosphere... complete with hippie scientist with funky ear-ring.
The series that explains how the Big Bang eventually produced Paris Hilton and Sean Penn.
fedor89 March 2011
(The 10/10 rating applies to the first two seasons.) "People come together, coz we're all made of stars..." Don't be a ninny like Moby, quoting a fraction of a scientific detail you overheard from a documentary program while channel-hopping during a cocaine-induced stupor (vegan cocaine, I gather...). Watch the whole thing. Because if the hairless, tone-deaf, talentless, nepotistic little turntable bunny had listened more carefully, he would have known that we're all made of supernovas. Besides, whereas it is true that most of us are made of stars, certain NY jet-set nerds are made of sewer material which I hear is made out of dung, not stars...
Astronomy and cosmology in particular have reached their Golden Age, and have been experiencing a sort of accelerated evolution, in the past decade or so, with dozens of major new discoveries. What better way to present them to science fans and utterly clueless science-illiterate masses (people like Moby and his fans) than with this slickly executed TV series. The CGI sequences are top-notch, the best scientific minds of the day have their say, the shows move at a brisk pace, and the material is sufficiently simplified so that about a fifth of all potential viewers can follow it. (A fifth: that is a LOT.) Unfortunately, the vast majority of people don't even know whether cosmology is a science or a new religious cult for Hollywood's "intelligentsia", let alone what fascinating questions, theories, and facts had been brought forward recently in this field. When one considers that various "holy books" are still top-sellers while less than 0.1% of the population has an inkling what a Big Rip is, then it's small wonder that Western Civilization has been going the way of profound dumbing-down in recent decades. Idiocracy, here we come! Madonna's latest Third-World kidnapping (sorry, adoption) is so much more interesting to the sheep than concepts such as a cosmological decade or a quasar.
I would particularly recommend TU to bog-worshipers, esoterics, the astrology-obsessed, and other witch-finders, ghost-seekers, and sasqwatch-spotters. TU might widen their horizons, make them finally aware that a real world exists out there, completely oblivious about and almost entirely unrelated to the numerous fantasy worlds humans had been concocting for eons out of pure abject fear. (Cosmic insecurity is a bitch.) Nevertheless, I am also aware that only five minutes of almost any TU episode would put off these viewer demographics from watching the rest, forever. There is no cure against Dummheit.
The first two seasons are a must, and should be checked out first. The very best: "Dark Matter/Dark Energy", "Life & Death Of A Star", "Cosmic Apocalypse", "The Outer Planets". Other superior episodes: "Cosmic Holes", "Alien Moons", "Saturn", "Jupiter", "Alien Planets", "Secrets of the Sun", "The Biggest Things In Space".
The lesser episodes are the ones dealing with space travel/colonization. Still quite interesting, but with too many of those laughable Mickey Mouse fantasy scenarios about terra-forming of alien planets and sending faster-than-light ships to other solar systems. Humanity will never move a millimeter beyond Mars, and when I say "humanity" I mean just the dozen or so luckless urine-sniffers (astronauts) who'll probably end up leaving their bones on the "red plant". I'll sooner believe that Tim Robbins comes up with a cure for the swine flu than that a successful colony will ever be established on Mars.
So what happens when a Moby particle hits an anti-Moby particle? Something wonderful.
Astronomy and cosmology in particular have reached their Golden Age, and have been experiencing a sort of accelerated evolution, in the past decade or so, with dozens of major new discoveries. What better way to present them to science fans and utterly clueless science-illiterate masses (people like Moby and his fans) than with this slickly executed TV series. The CGI sequences are top-notch, the best scientific minds of the day have their say, the shows move at a brisk pace, and the material is sufficiently simplified so that about a fifth of all potential viewers can follow it. (A fifth: that is a LOT.) Unfortunately, the vast majority of people don't even know whether cosmology is a science or a new religious cult for Hollywood's "intelligentsia", let alone what fascinating questions, theories, and facts had been brought forward recently in this field. When one considers that various "holy books" are still top-sellers while less than 0.1% of the population has an inkling what a Big Rip is, then it's small wonder that Western Civilization has been going the way of profound dumbing-down in recent decades. Idiocracy, here we come! Madonna's latest Third-World kidnapping (sorry, adoption) is so much more interesting to the sheep than concepts such as a cosmological decade or a quasar.
I would particularly recommend TU to bog-worshipers, esoterics, the astrology-obsessed, and other witch-finders, ghost-seekers, and sasqwatch-spotters. TU might widen their horizons, make them finally aware that a real world exists out there, completely oblivious about and almost entirely unrelated to the numerous fantasy worlds humans had been concocting for eons out of pure abject fear. (Cosmic insecurity is a bitch.) Nevertheless, I am also aware that only five minutes of almost any TU episode would put off these viewer demographics from watching the rest, forever. There is no cure against Dummheit.
The first two seasons are a must, and should be checked out first. The very best: "Dark Matter/Dark Energy", "Life & Death Of A Star", "Cosmic Apocalypse", "The Outer Planets". Other superior episodes: "Cosmic Holes", "Alien Moons", "Saturn", "Jupiter", "Alien Planets", "Secrets of the Sun", "The Biggest Things In Space".
The lesser episodes are the ones dealing with space travel/colonization. Still quite interesting, but with too many of those laughable Mickey Mouse fantasy scenarios about terra-forming of alien planets and sending faster-than-light ships to other solar systems. Humanity will never move a millimeter beyond Mars, and when I say "humanity" I mean just the dozen or so luckless urine-sniffers (astronauts) who'll probably end up leaving their bones on the "red plant". I'll sooner believe that Tim Robbins comes up with a cure for the swine flu than that a successful colony will ever be established on Mars.
So what happens when a Moby particle hits an anti-Moby particle? Something wonderful.
Just a correction to episode 8 about Saturn.
huebnerjt13 December 2019
It is stated that Saturn twinkles. It doesn't. None of the planets twinkle as they are not point-light sources. They are reflectors and being much closer spread their light over a wider area.
Nearly all astronomers know that planets don't twinkle like stars. I'm amazed that this made it into a scientific documentary.
Nearly all astronomers know that planets don't twinkle like stars. I'm amazed that this made it into a scientific documentary.
Dumbed-down presentation spoiled good potential.
dlherman-17 January 2008
First a disclaimer. I could only tolerate watching two episodes: Life and Death of a Star, and Saturn. My 16 year old son was turned-off following only one episode.
We found this introduction to astronomy and cosmology not only disappointing, but just plain irritating; not so much for the information it presents which is quite broad and at times fascinating, but for the presentation itself.
I couldn't help but come away from each episode feeling that I had been insulted. It was as if the producers had instructed most of the scientists - and in particular the narrator - to speak as if they were addressing an audience of children. The information is presented in a dumbed-down manner, with the presumption that the audience isn't particularly bright or sophisticated, and has a short attention span.
CGI is used far too lavishly, replacing much more fascinating astronomical images and intelligent discourse. The sensational and dangerous is emphasized rather than the awe and mystery of our universe. What I found very exasperating was the manner in which ideas were presented in a silly and unscientific manner. For example, one section described a hypothetical collision between our sun and a white dwarf. The narrator breathlessly said that the white dwarf would strike the sun at "supersonic speed". What? Does that mean we'd hear a sonic boom through the vacuum of space? It was this sort of laughable dialog that made me want to reach for the power-off switch.
I couldn't help but draw comparisons between The Universe, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos and current BBC productions. Despite being somewhat dated now, Cosmos is a far superior production. I remember watching it spellbound in the early 1980s, and I believe it was responsible for arousing my interest in cosmology which lasts to this day. Similarly, BBC productions on cosmology, indeed virtually any BBC documentary, stands head and shoulders above The Universe. Watch Planet Earth, for example, and you'll see what I mean.
So in summary if you are under the age of 12 The Universe might be your cup of tea. But if you are looking for an intelligent and thought provoking series, you might be disappointed.
We found this introduction to astronomy and cosmology not only disappointing, but just plain irritating; not so much for the information it presents which is quite broad and at times fascinating, but for the presentation itself.
I couldn't help but come away from each episode feeling that I had been insulted. It was as if the producers had instructed most of the scientists - and in particular the narrator - to speak as if they were addressing an audience of children. The information is presented in a dumbed-down manner, with the presumption that the audience isn't particularly bright or sophisticated, and has a short attention span.
CGI is used far too lavishly, replacing much more fascinating astronomical images and intelligent discourse. The sensational and dangerous is emphasized rather than the awe and mystery of our universe. What I found very exasperating was the manner in which ideas were presented in a silly and unscientific manner. For example, one section described a hypothetical collision between our sun and a white dwarf. The narrator breathlessly said that the white dwarf would strike the sun at "supersonic speed". What? Does that mean we'd hear a sonic boom through the vacuum of space? It was this sort of laughable dialog that made me want to reach for the power-off switch.
I couldn't help but draw comparisons between The Universe, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos and current BBC productions. Despite being somewhat dated now, Cosmos is a far superior production. I remember watching it spellbound in the early 1980s, and I believe it was responsible for arousing my interest in cosmology which lasts to this day. Similarly, BBC productions on cosmology, indeed virtually any BBC documentary, stands head and shoulders above The Universe. Watch Planet Earth, for example, and you'll see what I mean.
So in summary if you are under the age of 12 The Universe might be your cup of tea. But if you are looking for an intelligent and thought provoking series, you might be disappointed.
Sensationalist garbage.
saul-mcsween2 July 2019
This show is to science what Fox News is to reporting. The animations are laughably amateur and the content is made for the lowest common denominator. There is very little scientific value. Do not expose your kids to this unless you want to scare them into thinking a comet or an exploding star is going to destroy earth at any moment.
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