Arctic Exposure with Nigel Marven – The Complete Mini-Series (Genius/Animal Planet DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Episodes: B

 

 

The Canadian Arctic is not a place you hear much (enough) about as most special go to the furthest North or South Poles, but it is just as amazing and Arctic Exposure with Nigel Marven is a fine five-part documentary mini-series as he explores the lands, its indigenous animal life, the famous Northern Lights and the impending environmental crisis facing this irreplaceable, priceless part of the world ecosystem.  From the stunning animal life to polar bears in jeopardy to the scenery, this is one of the best programs of its kind to date and could never run long enough.

 

Marven is an expert on the area, history and much more, like the great scene where he pours boiling water into a cup and throws it in the air.  At 35-degrees below zero Fahrenheit, the water freezes mid-air before coming down as ice!  Then there are the details that he infuses with more energy and enthusiasm than most of his counterparts on other such shows and without going overboard.  This was a very pleasant surprise and that the show never becomes pat or cutesy about things is another plus.  I hope we see Marven again, because he is a standout.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image has some great shots throughout and some like you have never seen before, but this DVD downtrade of the fine HD shoot suffers detail loss and depth suffers as well.  This should be a Blu-ray as soon as they can get around to it, especially since these animals look so good here already.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is pretty good for location audio and is edited well.  The combination is decent, though has its limits.  Extras include a brief interview piece with Marven and a featurette Climate Change that is one of the best on the subject to date.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo