Has lots of stunning visuals and wonders of nature to behold, but ultimately lacks insight and never really achieves the exhilarating heights and palpable poignancy of March of the Penguins.
Comment
04/23/09
Earth (2009)
86
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:86
Fresh:74
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: With its spectacular and extensive footage, Earth is both informative and entertaining.
Theatrical Release:Apr 22, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $31,959,266
Synopsis: Partially constructed from the groundbreaking BBC and Discovery Channel television series PLANET EARTH, EARTH is a ravishing and often gut-wrenching tale of natural survival and beauty. Five years... [More]
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Reviews for Earth
It might seem awfully mean to critique a nature documentary released by Walt Disney on Earth Day -- but that's exactly what I'm about to do.
04/22/09
It never quite lives up to the level of filmmaking set by the Disney nature films of yore.
04/21/09
It just feels like cheating. This is the exact footage used in the "Planet Earth" series. I even miss the full Disney treatment. No cute names given to the animals? How will you sell more stuffed animals?
04/22/09
Feels like a thin introduction rather than a rich tapestry.
04/23/09
If nature's what you crave, you'll have more fun sitting on your porch and watching mosquitoes impact with a bug zapper.
04/21/09
For adults, Earth misses the mark of riveting storytelling. Earth crams in the dramatic adventures of several species (including penguins) -- with the result that it comes up short on telling one really good story.
04/24/09
It's not that this lovely-to-look-at nature documentary is bad: it's just that it's completely redundant as a film.
04/23/09
Featuring edited moments from the popular Planet Earth as seen on Discovery Channel, apparently Disney's idea of going green is to recycle film footage for theaters.
04/24/09
For a round-the-world trip, it feels a bit like a budget bus tour.
04/24/09
Top CriticThis is a film that doesn't know when to shut up and gaze in wonder.
04/17/09
Disney puts truth in the drawer claiming that "changing weather patterns" cause drying rainforests, when it's the destruction of the rainforest that is causing the changing weather patterns.
04/26/09
... the images that are captured by the filmmakers are so stunning and breathtaking that you would really be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't see them up on the big screen.
04/24/09
Our responsibility to protect this ecosystem underscores every image; watching is submission to our call of duty. Yet, Earth feels compromised where Planet Earth was not
04/20/09
[The directors] know how to craft a sequence (lions and elephants uneasily drinking at the same water hole), have an eye for the telling shot (baboons mincing across a flood plain), and mercifully avoid making the fauna look human.
04/24/09
For fans of wildlife programmes, Earth will be nothing new - it is, after all, a re-cut version of the BBC series Planet Earth -- but this is a wildlife film at the very top of its game.
11/24/07
It really is impressive to see these images so up close on a big screen.
04/20/09
It is as beautiful a film as I’ve seen in some time.
04/20/09
When a subject is as big as all outdoors, the big screen has some advantages.
04/22/09
Top CriticThis is, after all, the circle of life, and while it's kindly to watch adorable creatures partake in adorable behavior (polar bears sliding around in snow!), the reality of existence is far more dangerous.
04/23/09
Latest News for Earth
May 25, 2009:
A gorgeously photographed nature documentary that doesn't have enough happy moments and has far too many tragic ones. 
More...
April 23, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Fighting Is Down For The Count
This week at the movies, weve got bare-knuckle bouts (Fighting, starring Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard), the wonders of nature (Earth, narrated by James Earl Jones), a... More...
April 23, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Don't You Dare Mess with Beyoncé's Man
The environment needs saving so Hollywood is doing its part to go green by opening recycled versions of Fatal Attraction and Fight Club in hopes of attracting young adults. In a... More...
May 05, 2008:
Trailer & Poster Review
More...
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