A final plea from the godfather of natural history and the greatest broadcaster of our time, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet chronicles the life & career of the extraordinary figure who's best known for presenting & narrating some of the greatest nature documentaries ever made, and is unparalleled for his contribution to educating the masses about Earth's natural & wildlife wonders, and the need to preserve it in the wake of mankind's utter disregard & reckless destruction of each n every habitat.
Directed by the crew that's been instrumental in echoing Attenborough's soothing & eloquent voice all over the world, this is a documentary of immediate relevance & urgency that serves as his personal witness statement for the natural world and future generation. Through his own first-hand account, he acquaints the audience with the overall decline of our planet's wildlife reserves and what the future holds if human exploits are allowed to continue at the alarming rate they already are at, and it sure doesn't look good.
Still, Attenborough is hopeful that we can turn things around if we act swiftly and even offers solutions to restore & stabilise our planet's biodiversity. It's gonna take a collective effort from people all over the world to reverse the damage and avoid the grim & devastating fate that awaits ahead. It will take an unprecedented level of international cooperation & collaboration to address the unprecedented global crisis that we face today yet what makes it depressing is the brutal realisation that it's probably too late and we are already past the point of no return.
As often is the case with the documentaries Attenborough has presented over the years, this film itself is gorgeously photographed and is interspersed with footage of his own time in the wild in order to draw comparison to the decline ecosystems have undergone over the years. And the difference is not only obvious but it's also extremely unsettling. Attenborough himself is just as graceful as he's always been in his presentation, with a genuine concern for the increasing rate at which we are depleting the natural resources and signing our own death certificate.
Overall, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet is another masterfully crafted documentary of bracing impact & immediacy that finds its 93-year old naturalist taking the centerstage to remind us of our role & responsibility to mother nature and how our actions can ensure the survival of not only our species but all life on Earth. Compared to the extensively detailed nature documentaries he has been a part of, this one does seem brief at mere 83 mins but it captures a more personal side of the man who has seen more of the natural world than any other, and is by all means an essential viewing.
