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Planet Earth II

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 10 Critic Reviews

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96

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	Your Score
7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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Planet Earth II

Now Playing: Planet Earth II

Planet Earth II

Series Details & Credits

AMC | BBC America | SundanceTV | Release Date: November 13, 2016

Summary: Narrated by David Attenborough, the sequel to the 2006 nature series features the use of 4K ultra high definition (UHD), aerial drones, and remote recordings to explore the habitats and animals on islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands and cities.

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary, Science, Educational

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. Mountains
Air Date: July 9, 2023
tbd
S1:E7. A World of Wonder
Air Date: May 8, 2022
tbd
S1:E6. Cities
Air Date: March 25, 2017

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

96

Positive:

10

Mixed:

0

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

We Got This Covered

Joseph Falcone

Feb 14, 2017

Season 1 Review: Elevated by Hans Zimmer and his team’s grandiose musical accompaniment, and bolstered by unrivalled footage obtained with the utmost preparation, care, and skill, Planet Earth II is a more than worthy successor to the extraordinary 2006 BBC production. Read full review

100

IndieWire Ben Travers

Feb 21, 2017

Season 1 Review: Television sports its fair share of important, engaging entertainment. But Planet Earth II might be the only show that checks both boxes for everyone: It’s the revival we want and the revival we need. Read full review

100

Variety

Sonia Saraiya

Feb 16, 2017

Season 1 Review: An exquisitely rendered documentary of the natural world. ... As a show, it is masterful work. As an instrument of love and affection for the multitudes of life on this fragile world, it is indispensible. Read full review

100

Wall Street Journal

John Anderson

Feb 17, 2017

Season 1 Review: [The cameras'] sophistication and that of their operators are able to capture animals, their behavior and their habitats with an intimacy previously unimaginable, and breathtaking. With all due respect, Planet Earth II leaves its ancestor in the dust. And seas. And mountains. And jungles. Read full review

100

New York Magazine (Vulture)

Kathryn VanArendonk

Feb 21, 2017

Season 1 Review: Nearly every frame of it is about strengthening our ability to connect individual experiences with bigger, more universal outlines. It is the rare message that’s both pointed and strikingly understated, which, right now, feels like a balm. Read full review

90

Los Angeles Times

Robert Lloyd

Feb 17, 2017

Season 1 Review: Because absolutely everything here is beautiful to behold and the wild lands pictured seem so vast and untrammeled, the overall impression Planet Earth II leaves is that things might be more or less fine. Read full review

80

The New York Times

Neil Genzlinger

Feb 17, 2017

Season 1 Review: [David Attenborough] has eschewed the soapbox in favor of subtlety. This program (the series producer is Tom Hugh-Jones) does, too, for the most part. Read full review

SEE ALL 10 REVIEWS

Write a Review

7.2

Mixed:

0

User Reviews

10

gracjanski

Nov 19, 2020

It is not a coincidence, that this mini series is so highly rated. Very beautiful pictures, entertaining little stories and explanations and a lot of content. And in the end you learned something and sometimes you are surprised what they filmed and how they did it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

10

kyle20ellis

Mar 19, 2022

Absolutely adore the first 'Planet Earth' from 2007, one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. David Attenborough (brother of director/actor Richard) is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.Absolutely adore the first 'Planet Earth' from 2007, one of the best documentaries ever made and actually is more than that. David Attenborough (brother of director/actor Richard) is wisely considered a national treasure for very good reason, no matter how much he himself dislikes the term.

So hearing that there was a second series nearly a decade later, there was absolutely no doubt as to whether to watch it. 'Planet Earth II' is as good as others have said and there is not much to add, it is along with its predecessor one of the best documentaries personally seen and most of the time it actually feels much more than that. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me and many others 'Planet Earth II' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more. To me as well, it is easily one of the best the BBC has done in years.

'Planet Earth II' for starters looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life, the mountains in "Mountains" in particular are spectacular and "Jungles" captures the colour, excitement and formidable danger of the jungle beautifully. The rich colours just leap out. For a composer that composes normally bombastic, rousing and pulse-racing music that is epic even in the quieter moments, Hans Zimmer's music here is a remarkably good fit, it's unmistakably Zimmer in style but throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them.

What of the narrative aspects? Can't fault 'Planet Earth II' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful. This balance was even achieved in the "Cities" episode, that may have been the one that transfixed me the least due to being more invested in the animals and their habitats of the previous episodes.

But the episode still managed to intrigue and illuminate, and credit has to go to 'Planet Earth II' for adhering to what made 'Planet Earth' work the first time and then bringing a freshness with a few nice ideas to avoid it being too stale. Attenborough delivers it beautifully, there's a soft-spoken enthusiasm and precision about his delivery and he never preaches.

The animals themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable (the penguins in "Islands") and the dangerous (the lions in "Grasslands" and "Deserts"), and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. 'Planet Earth II' contains a good deal of suspense (especially in "Deserts") and emotional impact ("Islands"). Even the fights/conflicts against the animals are completely riveting, some epic moments in "Jungles".

It doesn't feel like six episodes either, and none of the episodes feel episodic or repetitive. 'Planet Earth II' instead feels like a collection of six individual stories with real, complex emotions and conflicts and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.

Overall, utterly mesmerising. For documentary lovers or fans of 'Planet Earth', 'Planet Earth II' is not to be missed at all costs and has more than enough to entice one to watch it again and again, finding something new each time and never getting tired of it. 10/10 Bethany Cox… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

9

IntegrateDan

Jun 15, 2022

An updated documentary follows a similar path to the first Planet Earth but with more vivid scenery.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

0

jhjskld

Mar 6, 2022

I personaly felt the pacing lacked power and the visuals felt pretty below averae baased off the first one and overall is dispointing in my opinon

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Seasons & Episodes

96

Series Overview
Season 1

96
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 29, 2022
- tbd
  S1:E8. Mountains
  Air Date: July 9, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E7. A World of Wonder
  Air Date: May 8, 2022
- tbd
  S1:E6. Cities
  Air Date: March 25, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E5. Grasslands
  Air Date: March 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E4. Deserts
  Air Date: March 11, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E3. Jungles
  Air Date: March 4, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E2. Mountains
  Air Date: February 25, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E1. Islands
  Air Date: February 18, 2017