Absolutely adore 'Planet Earth', one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. Have remarked a few times that it and its recent follow up (every bit as good) did for nature and out planet as 'Walking with Dinosaurs' did with the dinosaurs. David Attenborough is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.
That "Deserts" may be perhaps one of the weaker 'Planet Earth' episodes is saying nothing, because it is still absolutely wonderful and many cuts above most things talking about deserts in educational terms and a lot of nature documentaries in general. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.
Where to start with the praises for "Deserts?" For starters it looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed with some jaw-dropping aerial shots, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life and the rich colours positively leap out. The music is epic but has just as many quieter moments that speak just as much. The main theme is unforgettable.
Regarding the narrative aspects, "Deserts" can't be faulted there either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. Everything is intriguing and illuminating, with as much for children to be inspired by as well as adults, and there is just enough freshness to avoid it from becoming stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.
"Deserts" succeeds brilliantly in showing how the lack of water and such affects the inhabitants/wildlife, what is done to try and overcome the obstacles and how they adapt. The episode was illuminating to me too, because my knowledge of deserts before was basically knowing that it was hot and that it was dry, to find out so much more and building upon/expanding on what little was known is what good documentary watching is all about and "Deserts" accomplished that with flying colours.
One may find themselves, like me, rooting for the inhabitants and even the deserts themselves in the way they would a human. "Deserts" may just lack the emotional impact (or the same amount at least) or complexity of some of the other 'Planet Earth' episodes, hence the slightly lower rating than the previous ones, but it's beautifully structured with nothing episodic about it, feeling again like its own individual story and journey (another general strength of Attenborough documentaries).
In summation, didn't quite bowl me over as much as other episodes of the series but still wonderfully done and fascinating. Nothing dry about it at all and actually has very little wrong, just that the other episodes had a little more emotional impact. 9/10 Bethany Cox
