Blue Planet II (2017)

Production: Mark Brownlow, James Honeyborne, Jennifer Hile, Jonathan Smith | 420 minutes | documentary | Starring: David Attenborough

‘Blue Planet II’ is the successor to the acclaimed documentary series ‘The Blue Planet’, a masterful natural history epic that won the hearts of many nature and film lovers in 2001. As in its predecessor, it is the warm narration of David Attenborough, the doyen of nature film, who takes us on a fascinating journey through the immense blue wilderness in ‘Blue Planet II’. Making the series was a true mammoth production. The filming and editing of ‘Blue Planet II’ took four years and required the deployment of state-of-the-art devices such as advanced underwater cameras and drones equipped with film cameras.

The cross-pollination of technology, nature, science and cinematographic expertise that underlies ‘Blue Planet II’ is undeniably bearing fruit. Each episode covers a separate marine ecosystem. For example, the inhospitable deep sea, coasts, coral reefs, the green oases in the oceans and the open ocean are all extensively discussed. A variety of animal species pass by the viewer’s eye. Iconic megafauna such as blue whales, sperm whales, orcas, sea lions and white sharks, obscure fish, huge colonies of seabirds and tiny crustaceans, the enormous diversity of the world’s seas is splashed in the most beautiful colors and image quality imaginable from the screen.

Interestingly, the makers of ‘Blue Planet II’ have also managed to capture scientific novelties and samples of never-before-filmed animal behavior. A good example is the hunt of a group of Galápagos sea lions for yellowfin tuna in a shallow sea, a scene that was partly filmed from a bird’s eye view. Tuna are extremely difficult to catch due to their speed and maneuverability. However, the sea lions have developed an ingenious strategy to capture the sturdy fish. They chase the tuna towards a shallow cove demarcated by rocks, a place where the fish cannot play their cards. Eventually the tuna run aground against the rocks and the sea lions can catch them. Given the size and weight of the tuna, the fish are a hugely high-calorie meal for the smart marine mammals. We’ll also get one step closer to finding the breeding site of the mysterious whale sharks, see moray eels that specialize in hunting crabs in shallow tidal pools, and witness the amazing intelligence and defense strategies of an octopus. The whole of beautiful images is provided with appropriate commentary by David Attenborough. The amiable Briton’s genuine interest-fueled authority continues to be a saving grace at a time when gullibility, fake news and anti-intellectualism are rampant.

Fortunately, ‘Blue Planet II’ is much more than just a parade of beautiful images supported by epic music and expert commentary. The series also pays full attention to the precarious situation in which many marine ecosystems find themselves. The emphasis is mainly on the huge mountain of plastic that is now floating around in the sea and that poses a deadly danger to many fish, seabirds, sea turtles and even micro-organisms. Noise pollution is also discussed, for example by showing the effect this has on popular and cuddly animals such as the colorful clownfish. By the way, ‘Blue Planet II’ draws attention to these problems without using an overly pedantic tone.

‘Blue Planet II’ is a series that guarantees a good seven hours of viewing pleasure from the top shelf. The documentary shows the blue wilderness in all its facets; beautiful and spectacular, but often also brutal and ruthless. After all, those different faces of wild nature are all undeniably part of the blueprint for life on earth, a life that we as modern humans all too often destroy because of our limitless lifestyle.