Description
The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the Galapagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals. As the western islands rise up from the sea offering a chance of life, the eastern islands sink back beneath the waves guaranteeing only death. Between the two are the middle islands; fertile, lush land in its prime that contains an incredible diversity of life. Nowhere else on the Earth are the twin processes of creation and extinction of species so starkly apparent... see it all unfold before your eyes in this stunning series filmed entirely in high definition from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel.

Amazon.com
While its title may be superfluous, Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World is a beautifully filmed journey into "the islands of the tortoise." Located due west of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are full of gorgeous scenery and exotic wildlife. And this 150-minute documentary shows it all, thanks to stunning cinematography shot from all viewpoints--the air, sea and, of course, land. The collection is both soothing and exhilarating as it allows viewers to peek in on mating albatrosses (which are monogamous), penguins fishing, and surprisingly graceful giant tortoises swimming in the ocean. The filmmakers also manage to capture a ferocious volcanic eruption that is amazing in its clarity. The problem with many documentaries lies in the narration. A documentary filmmaker hits the jackpot when he is able to get someone like Sigourney Weaver, whose crisp narration fits in beautifully with the sweeping footage in Planet Earth . While Tilda Swanton lends a relaxing quality to Galapagos , her voice at times is a bit too lulling to hold the viewer's interest. The writing also borders on melodramatic, with talk of the simmering sea and such. With visuals as stunning as this, hyperbole is unnecessary. Charles Darwin has described the Galapagos as a world within itself, and it is said that the islands were one of his inspirations for his book The Origin of Species . While the film doesn't clearly explain why the Galapagos are unlike any other place on earth, it does showcase a destination that is unlike what most of us know. --Jae-Ha Kim

Date: 06/01/2010
Summary: Just O.K. Too bad.
Rating: 3
Pro: Beautiful cinematography provides access to large areas of the Galapagos otherwise not available to tourists. Recommended for that reason alone. Very high-quality blu-ray video.

Con: 1) The script for each segment is written as if the viewer hasn't seen previous episodes so there is quite a lot of repetition. I hope to never hear reference to an "island conveyor belt" again. 2) Tilda Swinton's narration offers either one of two modes: flat, or kindergarten teacher. I found it tiresome. With good narrators available, why do we keep being subjected to the Sigourney Weavers and Oprah Winfreys? 3) As the series progresses it becomes one long sales pitch for evolution theory. While the natural evidence found in the Galapagos does present a logical argument for adaptation theory, I found the Darwinist "and the world was changed forever" drumbeat tedious.

Conclusion: Must-see footage of a fascinating archipelago. Too bad it doesn't come with a music-only track.

Date: 04/02/2010
Summary: 1st and 3rd episodes are better
Rating: 5
I really enjoyed watching it, the 1st and 3rd episodes dive into the Galapagos in a way I've never imagined. The 2nd episode highlights Darwin, but to me it didn't really enhance the DVD...But it was a great watch

Date: 03/26/2010
Summary: Brilliant production
Rating: 5
Like the Planet Earth series, this production is equal in visual and content production values. The photography/cinematography is truly stunning, the dialogue informative and value as a learning piece is without peer. I cannot recommend this disc enough.

Date: 03/10/2010
Summary: Wonderful, but not perfect
Rating: 4
This continues the tradition of excellence with BBC nature documentaries; interesting information, very high production standards and stunning visuals accompanied by first class narration.

There are three shows in this mini series and each of them are worth watching. They manage to show us more than tortoises and marine iguanas--they also highlight the avian fauna of the island fairly well, including documenting a neat bit of hunting by the short eared owls. Very informative, covering the drift and history of the Galapagos as well as the flora and fauna. I do wish they'd gone into more detail about the effects of the introduced plants and animals, and I wish they'd shot another episode worth of content. It'd have been neat to get a more in depth view of the difference between the older and younger islands--what animals are only found on the younger vs older islands, differences in temps, etc. It covers some of the differences--it shows much more varied topography on the older islands, and implies they have a greater diversity of life, but more detail would have been nice.
Still, a great introduction into the Galapagos and very enjoyable to watch.

Date: 02/02/2010
Summary: Won't play on all DVD players
Rating: 3
Although I have no doubts that the content is excellent, I was unable to play it on my DVD player. It requires an HD DVD player. It will not play on a traditional DVD player unless you can update your firmware. I don't believe it will play on a Blue Ray disk player either. I tried it on video game systems as well as my new laptop, but was unable to get it to work. I plan to reorder this item in regular DVD format.