Prehistoric Planet [2022]
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IMDB: 8.5 RT: 100/95 CrV: 6.8
This 2022 docuseries seeks to bridge the gap between the conventional lizard-like sciences of the 20th century – popularized by films like Jurassic Park – and the more contemporary [avian] theories elucidated by more sophisticated research techniques. Featuring stunning visual effects, a classic David Attenbourough narration, and a score by the legendary Hans Zimmer… Where did this go wrong?
“Wrong” is, perhaps, a touch on the dramatic side as there’s nothing quite “wrong” about Prehistoric Planet, but there’s nothing quite right either. After watching all five episodes, I sat back and thought, “What did I really learn?” I came up with a few names I didn’t know before… but that was it. This felt like a documentary series made by Disney: Designed for children, nice enough to look at for adults.
The choices made for which animals to show off were great. We get a handful of lesser-known types with the ones we all know and love from pop-culture sprinkled in for a little more audience adhesion. I think this was a clever choice and works well to expand the general audience’s knowledge beyond just that of what we see in movies. The issue is the content itself… or lack-thereof.
Episodes are inconsistent – sometimes naming dinosaurs by type, sometimes only by family. Four episodes end with a specific line, while one [set in the middle] ends differently. In most episodes we get entirely new casts of characters, but in some, we repeat old friends and foes. To top it all off, when we get down to the nitty-gritty docu-style information, it all feels lifted from a hypothesis rather than backed up with any actual science [a particularly animated scene is lifted from a “fun” theory that a dinosaur may have done something similar to one of the scientist’s chickens… and that’s all the evidence cited].
In addition to the nonchalant attitude towards factual discourse, the filming itself lacks the usual Planet Earth-style editing, and opts for a “good guys win a lot, babies are always lucky, and predators only eat quickly and mostly offscreen” style. It’s… dare I say, boring. You know what happens next every step of the way, and it’s never quite interesting enough to matter. Had this series been about something less cool than dinosaurs or featured less incredible visuals, I definitely would not have finished it.
Prehistoric Planet serves perfectly well as a lightweight, filler-type, docuseries that feels designed to entice rather than to educate. If you want to look at some really pretty dinosaurs for a few hours, there’s no better place to go. If you want to learn virtually anything about them however… look elsewhere. I hope that this inspires young viewers to seek deeper answers and explore this ancient world that is so vast, beautiful, scary, and strange. For me though, it was too light, too empty, and too speculative to be remembered.
