If you like speculative science, bad CGI and the Discovery Channel,
then you’ve probably already seen this. If you haven’t, then you’ve missed
out on some interesting storytelling… until now!
What if there really was life on another planet? What could we expect to find? And how
would it differ with life on Earth? These questions and many more are answered in Alien
Planet, a spectacular voyage to a fabulous world beyond the stars. Join world renown
scientist Stephen Hawking, Craig Venter and a host of NASA and JPL scientists as they
speculate on what life forms might exist on Dawin IV, an imaginary planet 6.5 light years
from Earth.
The video and audio on this DVD are right up there. The colours and detail of the
picture are absolutely stunning. Presented in its original widescreen 1.78:1
non-anamorphic format, the CGI (though not great) is beautiful to watch. Of course I can't
stress enough how non-anamorphic is a very bad no no. I had to deduct marks for that one.
The audio comes to us in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Though the surrounds aren’t used
extensively, they do have their moments. The God-like voice of the narration comes through
very clear and gives a sense of omnipresence to the film.
There aren't a lot of suplemental materials found on the DVD. The main extra consists
of interviews with some of the scientists including Stephen Hawking and Jack Horner. The
only other extra is a preview for Full Throttle.
This is a big DVD release for those space nerds out there. You know who you are! We
meet every We... oh wait.. I mean. Ummmm. The CGI isn't as bad as I may have made it out
to be. Yeah that's it. No really, this is a decent feature with a few added extras thrown
in for good measure. Not worth a high price tage but if you can find it cheap I think
you'll be happy with it. Otherwise I suggest a rental... or even just wait until it
replays on the Discovery Channel. Whatever floats your boat really.
