I’ll start the review with the bad. First, it’s not entirely in 1080p. It’s 720p or 1080i. So while it’d HD, it’s not entirely Blu-ray. The image quality is still fantastic, although I think Planet Earth was slightly better in spots. Overall though, you probably won’t notice on anything other than the biggest of home TVs/projectors. Second, this series is a bit repetitious in that the first episode is a preview of all the upcoming episode. That made it a bit of filler for me. Finally, there’s not as much breadth or depth as there are in the other Attenborough BBC series. For example, Planet Earth had more breadth, while Life of Mammals/Plants/Birds etc. each had more individual depth.

So why the five stars? Well, that’s quite simply because what’s in here is literally awesome. The footage is brilliant, the animals and plants are compelling, the science is fascinating, and Sir David Attenborough is the best there is at nature narration (sorry Oprah!). If all you’ve seen is the Discovery version of this show, with Oprah narrating, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the difference a pro like Attenborough can make. But regardless of the version, it’s Life that’s the real show. From cheetahs, to plants, to frogs, to killer whales, the plants and animals in this series do not disappoint in their ways of surviving and reproducing. Richard Dawkins wrote a recent book on evolution called “The Greatest Show on Earth”. This series should be labelled the same! Nature, in all its glory, is just endlessly fascinating and amazing to watch.

Overall, this series is a perfect introduction into the world of nature documentaries. Other BBC/Attenborough series might offer more depth, breadth, and even (for some) slightly better resolution, but this DVD series still delivers a ton of fresh content that provides hours of really, really fascinating viewing. Highly recommended!