They used to occasionally show us these kinds of documentaries in high school and college classes (probably when the teacher had a hangover).
It is, at least, basically functional as an informational vessel. I learned quite a bit about planetary orbits and how our solar system ended up with a stable orbit: Basically, Jupiter was on its way to becoming a super-planet, but the inner planets boxed it out, and due to gravity eventually achieved a state of convergence. (There’s a great little demonstration of this happening with a bunch of metronomes.)
And the CGI is not half bad for what I’m sure was not a huge budget. A little dramatic, sure, but still effectively conveying the interplanetary action.
What I don’t get is the over-dramatic narration suggesting that perhaps we, the audience, ought to be scared about the sun exploding or Earth swapping orbits with Venus or some shit. If you’re going to be a science documentary, cut the bull crap.
It also bored my preschooler daughters, but I’ll take the blame on that one. The cosmic scale is a lot to process for a two year-old.
Is It Good?
Not Very Good (3/8)
Note: This review was originally published elsewhere. Please excuse brevity or inconsistencies in style. If you have questions or feedback, please leave a comment or contact me.
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