Planet Earth (2006)

It stands to reason that the BBC’s wonderful Natural History Unit have to trip up soon. Until the law of averages catches up with them, however, we can rejoice in their latest creation: Planet Earth, one of the most beautiful examples of filmmaking this side of a Terrence Malick reverie. Utilising high-def cameras capable of filming animals from astonishing distances, these episodes bring us everything from piranhas in a feeding frenzy to one of Earth’s most amazing natural wonders: the Lechugilla Caves, filled with crystal formations so delicate it took the production two years to obtain permission to go near them. The entire shoot was just as time-consuming, it seems, as the production diaries detail (how long can one man sit and wait for a snow leopard?).

Read the full Planet Earth review