Galapagos Combined Blu-ray Disc And HD DVD Review

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Title: Galapagos

Region: A (Blu-ray Disc Only)

Genre: Nature Documentary Series

Media: Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

Narrator: Tilda Swinton

Series Producer: Patrick Morris

Executive Producer: Michael Gunton

Feature length: 150 minutes

Languages: English Stereo Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf and Hearing Impaired

Packaging: Elite Blue BD Case/Elite Red HD Case

Chapter Stops: 6 Per Episode

Sound: Stereo Sound

Year of Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD Release: 2007

Home Video Distributor: BBC Video

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Tilda Swinton narrates this fascinating and visually glorious three part documentary series now available on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD from BBC Video entitled Galapagos. On American television this program aired on the National Geographic Channel. The first part of the documentary entitled “Born Of Fire” illustrates through time lapsed satellite photography and raw footage geology in motion as one can actually see islands created from vast undersea volcanoes, cool off, and then gradually drift. The further these islands drift, the more they benefit from the unique four major ocean currents that has enabled various marine life forms to thrive on the islands and evolve in different ways. It is conjectured that some of the species, which can be found no place else on Earth, were marooned on the island through some kind of natural catastrophe or through species migration. As a result there is a cooperative ecosystem that works on the island where tiny crabs groom large maritime iguanas while smaller lizards catch pesky flies that buzz around the blubbering bodies of great sea lions, which in some ways seem almost like great big dogs. There is something cute about them as a species that is undeniable. As I watched the documentary series and saw the diverse life forms that included the great tortoises the islands are famous for and named after I could not but think to myself, I would not be surprised if Director Merian C. Cooper was inspired in part by the Galapagos Islands when developing what would be his film classic King Kong though it must be noted that the fictional Skull Island has little in common with the Galapagos Islands other than it is place where evolution took a different turn in isolation and were created by volcanism.

The second portion entitled “Island That Changed The World” recalls early exploits to the islands and in particular Charles Darwin’s visit to the island, which he would later site was his inspiration or was the place of origin that put him on the path toward writing Origin Of Species. The final part of the documentary series entitled “Forces Of Change” focuses largely on the effects humans have had on the islands and some of the tragedies that almost wiped out species like the Galapagos tortoises. Domestic grazing animals like goats thrived when brought to the islands because they had no natural predators or competition that kept them in check. As a result their numbers multiplied by the thousands and they nearly defoliated the islands so much that it almost caused the extinction of the tortoises and ultimately the animals were hunted down and destroyed so that the ecology could heal. There is a scene where one literally sees a guy in helicopter with a rifle shooting these otherwise unchallenged herbivores while the slow moving tortoises, that have a life span of approximately 150 years, slowly go about their business.

I was surprised to see tourists’ kids inches away from the sea lions and within reach to pet them because I would think getting that close to an animal that big would be dangerous, but much of the lifestyle of the various species seems to revolve around a cycle of feeding and sleeping or basking in the sun that is interrupted by mating seasons. Shot using high definition cameras, Galapagos is glorious to behold on either Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD. The Blu-ray Disc Version comes on a single layered BD-25 with a widescreen (1.78:1) aspect ratio and features an English Stereo Soundtrack. The HD DVD version is nearly identical except that it uses a dual layered HD-30 disc and the I-HD seamless interactive menu navigation is smoother on the HD DVD version than on the Blu-ray Disc release. Otherwise picture wise both versions are presented in resolutions up to 1080p where available and are indistinguishable. Both are encoded using VC-1. The digital stereo sound feed from my HD DVD player to my receiver interpreted the soundtrack as being Dolby Digital Plus instead of stereo and as a result the receiver automatically interpreted the signal as being a DTS Neo 6 soundtrack, which occurs on some pre-HD/BD 7.1 surround sound receivers automatically. The three installments on either version are approximately 48 minutes each and can be viewed individually or collectively one after the other. English Subtitles For The Deaf and Hearing Impaired are encoded onto both discs as options. A trailer for Planet Earth (1:01) appears before the main menu. The 2 Entertainment and BBC Video HD logos are quite spiffy too. Galapagos is available now on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD at retailers on and offline courtesy of BBC Video.

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