Blu-ray Review

Yellowstone: Battle For Life

Official Synopsis:

Yellowstone is no ordinary wilderness, it is the world's first national park: a lost world of vast plains and endless forests defended on all sides by towering mountains, home to America's last great bison herds, the grizzly bear and realm of the wolf. It is the most extensive thermal area on earth with more than 10,000 boiling springs, fumaroles and bubbling mud pits and more geysers than the rest of the world put together. It's these strange natural wonders that first made Yellowstone famous and still make it unique today. This landmark series reveals the grandeur of this unique place as its animals struggle to survive over the course of the vividly changing seasons.

Our Take:

Yellowstone: Battle for Life is a three-part nature documentary series by the BBC Natural History Unit (Planet Earth). As with Planet Earth, the BBC team has captured amazing high definition video footage of nature’s beauty, thrown on a soothing British narration by a notable star (Peter Finch), and a structured it via a relatively loose theme. In this set, each 50-minute episode is a season, with Spring being split between episodes; the three episodes are titled “Winter,” “Summer,” and “Autumn.” Over the course of three-hours we see how the animals that inhabit Yellowstone National Park are forced to adjust to the changing seasons each year and how their eating patterns and threats change with the weather.

The documentary series makes for an enjoyable watch as the filmmakers focus on distinct packs or groupings of animals and return to them each season. While not a driven narrative style such as March of the Penguins, Yellowstone: Battle for Life does allow the audience to engage with the documentary on a deeper level than simply staring at pretty pictures. But, don’t get me wrong, the pictures are indeed pretty and I could probably enjoy the series with the volume muted if need be.

Audio & Video:

As with other recent BBC nature documentaries to hit Blu-ray, Yellowstone: Battle for Life is presented in 1080i. Yet, this less than 1080p transfer is not at all damning. The images in the series, which are generally not filled with frenzied action, do not suffer much if any discernable downgrade by being interlaced rather than progressive. The crystal clear images of snow and the textured fur on the animals is a joy to behold. Short of placing oneself in grave danger to view a bear or wolf in its natural habitat up close, this is as good as it gets. While the occasional soft image or dim artifacting will pop up over the three hours of footage, Yellowstone: Battle for Life is a worthy high definition addition to your nature documentary series.

One does not expect much in the way of soundtrack from a nature documentary, unless perhaps it were directed by Michael Bay and the animals and trees exploded. But, nevertheless, Yellowstone: Battle for Life comes with an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track that renders the narration with pitch perfect clarity and the sounds of Yellowstone National Park as well as the various calls of the wildlife with stunning perfection. The eruption of the park’s famed geysers provide the most oomph in the way of booming audio, but it is the peaceful authenticity of nature’s soundscape filling your home theater is the most enjoyable audio treat the series has to offer.

Special Features (Blu-ray Exclusive):

There are no Blu-ray exclusive features.

Special Features (Standard):

Jeff Henry, The Snowman (10 minutes) – A profile of a photographer that shoots the winters at Yellowstone National Park.
Geyser Gazers (11 minutes) – A profile of people who dedicate their lives or at least a significant portion of them watching the geysers at the park and keeping track of the exact time they go off.
Mike Kasci: The Fishman (10 minutes) – A profile of a man who records the sounds of nature and likes to swim in the Yellowstone River.

Conclusion:

Yellowstone: The Battle for Life is an excellent BBC nature documentary with a drilled down scope that gives viewers an intimately detailed portrait of Yellowstone National Park. While making a case for environmental preservation, the series is far from preachy, with an informative narration excellently read by Peter Finch. For fans of nature documentaries and those that can just appreciate the beauty of nature, Yellowstone: The Battle for Life is a must-see on Blu-ray.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Movie: A+
Video: A
Audio: A
Extra Features: B-

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer