Space – it’s big, it’s dark and it’s out there somewhere. It has stirred the imagination of mankind, driving sciences and literature to a blurring of the lines between fact and fiction. Sam Neill fronts up as the host of this six part documentary on space, appropriately enough titled Space. Neill is a natural for this sort of thing, sitting comfortably at ease with both the presentation format and the viewer. His time in front of the camera interacting with CG in Jurassic Park and traveling the universe as a hell bound scientist in Event Horizon has served him well, as in this doco he interacts extensively with countless computer created simulations and effects. And special note must be made of the mostly brilliant effects throughout the show. Brisbane based effects house Beeps has done a bang up job, creating many effects which combined with the fantastic audio work create an amazing spectacle on screen to fully capture your attention.
The episodes presented on the dvd in order are:
Star Stuff – Looks at the creation of the universe and possible origins of life on Earth.
Staying Alive – This episode is about two favourite sci-fi earth killers, comets and asteroids. Makes the point that we’ve been lucky not to have been wiped out till now, but our luck can’t last forever.
Black Holes – The doom and gloom of the previous show continues on. This time it’s about black holes, happily referred to as “monsters”. If the simulations of a black hole tearing apart a sun are anything to go by, they’re not bloody wrong either. Highlights some incredibly patient work done in the efforts to detect them.
Are We Alone? – Going by the comments in this episode, most of the boffins would believe not. Presents the argument that going by the sheer number of planets in the universe, it’s only a matter of time before some alien mob decides to pick up the phone and say “G’day two eyes”.
New Worlds – After the happy optimism of the hunt for intergalactic neighbours in Are We Alone, Sam once again decides to put the fear of God back into us by explaining that the Sun will eventually go the big KA-BOOM! and wipe out all life with it. But, if we can make some kind of effort to seek out a new home on other worlds, the human race..might..just..live on!
Boldly Go – Captain Kirk’s desire to go “that-a-way” out into deep space won’t happen with the inefficient chemical rockets of today. This final episode looks at some new and emerging technologies which may power our trip to the stars.
Like any show designed for the television masses, this presents an often simplified look at the sciences and technology, and should be taken as entertainment first and educational second. However, it is hugely enjoyable and like me you’ll probably find yourself sitting through all six episodes (a healthy 176 minutes) in one sitting, and still want more!
If nothing else, this should cement dvd as the ultimate in home entertainment/education delivery mediums for a while to come. Mixing stock footage and computer generated images within the shows, the picture (1.85:1 and 16:9 enhanced) is rich, clear and detailed. You’d be mistaken if you think a show about space is all black background and tiny white stars, as this utilizes many colours which are vibrant and deep, with the CG work looking like utter eyecandy. Neill’s integration with the graphics is fantastic, the separation between between the two most often being seamless and incredibly effective and enhanced by dvds clarity. As nice as it looks, there are some lapses in the quality, with a ripple in the detail of Neill's face in one scene, some excessive edge enhancement and some over compression of one or two CG scenes. But on the whole, this is very good stuff, and will have many reruns just to look at the amazing world they've created on screen.
The audio is presented on disc with an option to listen in Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 stereo. There’s nothing wrong with the stereo mix, but do yourself a favour and switch on the 5.1, because it adds to the experience greatly. The surrounds are often called in to enhance the spectacle, whether it be exploding stars, flying past planets or rockets lifting off. This aspect alone aids greatly in drawing you in and raises the bar for what a documentary should sound like. The sound is crystal clear at all times and supported by nice bass to give real presence to some scenes. Two thumbs up for not cutting corners just because it’s a documentary.
