The Cosmos – A Beginner’s Guide (2007/Athena/Acorn DVD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: B
A good
few years ago, we looked at the classic Carl Sagan documentary mini-series
Cosmos and it remains one of the most discussed and celebrated programs of its
kind ever. You can read about the DVD
set at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/523/Cosmos+(Carl+Sagan)
Now comes
The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide, Adam
Hart-Davis’ 2007 series on the same subject is a solid flipside program worthy
of Sagan’s classic that reintroduces the basics and in six episodes (about a
half-hour each) does a great job of taking a look at our world and the worlds
beyond. No, it is not as thorough as the
Sagan program, but is very enjoyable, likable and informative. Being widescreen gives it some room to be on
its own, though some footage is obviously originally 1.33 X 1.
Hart-Davis
is very well-spoken, smart and likable, which is why this ultimately becomes
its own series unto itself, even if it is in the shadow of its famous
counterpart. I would recommend it
whether you have seen the Sagan series or others like it before. Athena has picked another winner.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a little on the weak side, softer
than expected and part of it is from the animation, but also from some video
that is not the best HD around. Still, this is watchable enough. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo fares better, simple,
but clean, clear and well recorded. Extras
include a timeline, text discussion questions, gallery of Apollo astronauts and
a well-illustrated 12 page viewer’s guide that could fit into a Blu-ray case.
- Nicholas Sheffo
