Prehistoric Planet – Season 1
apple tv+In the early 2000s, a convergence of ideas and technology laid the landscape for an entirely unique and new side of educational programming. Taking the tried and true genre of educational wildlife documentaries – which was preparing for a grand resurgence and using new visual effects – the prehistoric world of dinosaurs found its way onto television screens with now-iconic programs like Walking with Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Park generating a new generation of wonder and awe for the life that once lived on Earth. Strangely, however, this genre started to dissipate towards the late 2000s and early 2010s with less and less content being created. Still, it was only a matter of time until these creatures found their way onto screens again, with Apple TV+ being the streamer to bite the bullet and present Prehistoric Planet. Produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton, including narration from the legendary David Attenborough and scored by a talented group of composers including Hans Zimmer, Prehistoric Planet looks to add prestige to the often more charismatic and personable prehistoric nature documentary genre and overwhelmingly succeeds, even if some of the charms might be missing.
From the very first shot of dinosaurs – a Tyrannosaurus family swimming across a small stretch of ocean to get to an island – it is clear that Prehistoric Planet is aiming at showing audiences something they have never seen before. Unafraid to test the loved iconography of even the most famous of dinosaurs, the show embraces the newest understandings of dinosaur behavior to provide something fresh and new. Barring any breakthroughs in actually creating a living dinosaur, it is hard to imagine anything coming as close to actually witnessing these creatures as Prehistoric Planet. The series is incredibly well mapped when it comes to layout and format, with the traditional nature-documentary ideals of presenting a new biome with each episode being present here. The series presents these creatures not as strange beasts, but rather as animals with an authentic feeling lens given to how they behave and interact with the world around them. Even for those who have seen similar projects over the last couple of decades, nothing is going to feel quite like this.
This rings true not just in the subject, but also in the visuals. CGI has got shockingly good to the point where those not aware could easily be fooled that any animal featured throughout the series was a real, breathing creature rather than something made by a computer. The skin and the way the animals interact with the world feel so authentic that it is almost scary at times to think just how strong this technology is developing. It also is rather surprising to see a series such as this overshadow anything to be done in the Jurassic World franchise when it comes to actually make creatures look and feel real. These don't feel like models, they feel like living creatures more than ever before. Of course, the score is also incredible, with the work of Hans Zimmer never growing old.
The final piece of the puzzle that the show hopes to utilise is the narration from David Attenborough. The legendary voice is immediately recognisable and, as always, carries a unique charm and poignancy that is impossible to fully replicate or describe. There is something about the passion in his voice that sucks audiences in and gives weight to whatever creature or world he is describing. There is something to be said, however, about the lack of charisma found within Attenborough, specifically for fans of what this genre has represented in the past. Projects like this have been quick to find a more entertaining host, such as Nigel Marven, which gives those projects more of a distinct style and personality. While Attenborough is perfect for what the show is going for, there will undeniably be some hoping for something with a bit more energy than what Prehistoric Planet has to offer. This is much more in line with works like Our Planet or Planet Earth rather than Walking with Dinosaurs.
The other major struggle within Prehistoric Planet is its ability to create context. While the behaviors of the creatures are wonderfully understood, the time and location are often overlooked, which does feel a bit odd for a project with this subject matter. The show clearly wants to present itself as if it was happening in real-time so any hopes of seeing any world maps or timelines will sadly be let down. It is never quite clear what the Earth looked like at the time these creatures lived on it or what was happening on the larger scale of the history of Earth. While those with a knowledge of dinosaurs can probably piece things together and Google is helpful for the rest of the audience, it does feel like a strange oversight and failure for a series whose primary goal is giving an understanding of the prehistoric planet.
As one watches Prehistoric Planet, it is hard to come up with any word to describe the experience other than breathtaking. Using some of the best visual effects ever seen to bring to life a prehistoric world. While maybe the series isn't the most charismatic and there are some disappointing oversights, it is still hard to not appreciate and be taken back by just how stunning this portrait of prehistoric life is. With a near-flawless technical identity and a fresh lens to view even the most iconic of dinosaurs, this is a welcome return to the prehistoric nature genre and one has to hope that more will be around the corner!
