As said many times, David Attenborough is a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best programmes (of the documentary genre and overall) the BBC has ever aired/produced.
It is really hard picking favourites, let alone a definite favourite, among what Attenborough has done because he has done so many gems, it is the equivalent of trying to choose your favourite ice cream flavour or your favourite operatic role (for examples) and finding you can't pick. 'State of the Planet' is not quite one of my favourites from him, there is a preference for the wildlife-oriented ones and other documentaries of his connect with me more emotionally somewhat. Nonetheless, 'State of the Planet' is still great and in terms of the theme and the questions it raises it is very important. Learnt a lot from it when it was shown in my science class in school, still got a lot out of it several years on and it is very much important and relevant now as it was seventeen years ago.
'State of the Planet' goes into very comprehensive detail of what is wrong, why it is wrong and what to do about it, and what is shown is challenging in a way to hear but there is such a lot of truth to what is said and what was needed to have been said for some time. Didn't find it biased at all (if it was it would not have shown how to solve the problems), and felt that it presented a great case while having things to back up what was said with. Don't think though that it means 'State of the Planet' is pessimistic in tone, with the what to do about it elements there is a lot of hope.
As always with Attenborough, 'State of the Planet' looks great. It is beautifully filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate, way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic with some of the shots being unique for a documentary series, making one forget that it is a series. The editing is always succinct and smooth.
The music score fits very well, never overly grandiose while never being inappropriate while also being a beautiful score in its own right.
Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more.
Each part allows one to care for the information told and is structured and paced beautifully.
Overall, not one of Attenborough's best but incredibly well done and important. 9/10 Bethany Cox
