Search - How the Earth Was Made (History Channel) on DVD

Enjoyed this purchase, BUT... (Read Full Review)

justtroy | 03/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like most people, I was fairly aware of the differences between Darwin's theory and the religious account of creation, but this documentary is presented from a totally different point of view. Watching this documentary you can just focus on the geology of the planet and see how the geological evidence clearly demonstrates what the planet has been through. I really liked this documentary and think it would be an enjoyable watch for anyone with a natural curiosity for the sciences and wants to know more about the earth's history (and future, read below).



The documentary is divided into a timeline and for each period scientists reveal field evidence from the rocks to explain what happened in that period. They take you to landscapes from around the world: South Georgia's wetlands, the Scottish highlands, the Canadian Rockies, the Grand Canyon, the South African diamond mines and even New York's Central Park and show you how these are more than just attractive scenery and staggering views. Each of these geological landmarks tells us about events in the past. There's the event, what triggered it, when it happened, and what it led to... fascinating, fascinating stuff.



At times I felt the movie supposes some knowledge of geology from the viewer but I wouldn't say it's unwatchable because of this. It still explained a lot of the concepts like tectonic plates (which I'd heard of before but didn't quite know what they were), glacier formations and the effects that erode them, and how all these things relate to what happened and is continuing to happen. If you're like me without much geology background, you'll get a lot of new and interesting information like pillow lava (how they're formed and what they tell us) and stromatolites (think of a prehistoric coral, originating 4 billion years ago but still alive today in Western Australia). The technical data (temperatures, dates, and geological aspects) are presented coherently.



What's most interesting about this documentary in my opinion is that it touches upon the future and draws predictions based on the natural progression of events in the planet's past. Sometimes the claims made are shocking. For example, they say that North America and Europe are continuing to drift apart but that one day (although a very long time from now) the reverse will also happen and the East Coast will end up in a collision with Europe. New York will be flattened and turned into a mountain (Don't rush selling your NY real estate though; it's a long time from now. Everything about this documentary is in thousands and millions and billions of years.) If you're keeping up with global warming, pay attention to what they say about ice ages. It will raise your eyebrows. I certainly felt a little more hopeful after watching this film although it's clear that our world will die one day.



Overall it's illuminating and very interesting, and sometimes even frightening, but the facts are enjoyable and are presented in a way that's not overwhelming if you're not that informed about this science. But I wouldn't call it a Geology 101 course or even a full presentation of the scientific theories related to this topic. Many concepts were briefly brushed over, possibly to make the whole thing fit into the 1:30 time. I would have liked more information on the formation of the original "water world" which is left a little unclear (I found the possible explanation of water bearing meteors a little hard to swallow) and more explanation on the shifting ocean currents which is given as the main reason for climate change at one point but without much detail of exactly how this was caused.



The graphics and photography are excellent. A lot of it is special effects, but lots of natural scenery too. I especially enjoy watching documentaries with high production quality, so if you're the same, this one's for you.



Overall I can say that after watching this documentary, I have a lot more understanding and respect for geologists. It's a truly fascinating science that I wasn't adequately in touch with. It's good to know that we have this knowledge, that we can tell the future of our environment just by paying attention to the earth beneath our feet!



If you watch it with children between 12 and 16 it has information that's suitable for them (the formation of coal, diamonds, etc. reminds me of high school science) but be prepared to answer lots of questions. I don't think it's suitable for children younger than this age, beyond the great graphics at least.

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