All Rise...

When Judge David Johnson goes for a swim after a satisfying hoagie lunch he is a ocean giant.

The Charge

The fascinating lives of whales and dolphins.

The Case

BBC Earth and PBS Nature join forces to deliver Ocean Giants three episodes and 179 minutes worth of aquatic fun, looking at two of the most interesting sea-dwelling organisms this side of sharks and sea anemones.

Renowned cameramen Doug Allan and Didier Noirto strap waterproof wrappings on their cameras and head for the high seas to capture some epic fin footage. Their journeys offer sweet, sweet eye candy, and throw in liberal amounts of marine learning. The audience gets an up-close-and-personal look at these majestic animals and how they operate in their underwater society.

Three parts to this release:

Part One: Giant Lives
Are whales as gentle as we used to think? Apparently their stories are "spiced with sex and violence." Those are the narrator's words and they're deeply upsetting. This installment follows humpback whales as they fight to the death in mating rituals, killer whales and their ferocious hunting methods, and Arctic bowhead whales, the fattest animals on the planet, besides your average Utican of course.

Part Two: Deep Thinkers
How smart are dolphins? Pretty smart actually—and sort of up their own butt, as evidence by an inability to tear themselves away from mirrors. Despite their slow-moving, oafish looks, whales aren't dumb-asses either.

Part Three: Voices of the Sea
What role does sound play for the Ocean Giants? A big one! Sperm whales hunting with the loudest sound generated by any animal, killer whales weaponizing their screeches, and humpback whales belting out songs to prevent the destruction of Earth from huge tubelike aliens.

Good, seafaring adventure all around, examining the lives and times of the some of the most compelling beasties nature has to offer. The combination of genuinely interesting facts and storytelling with eye-popping visuals adds up to yet another winning outing by the pros at Nature and BBC.

The DVD: a very solid 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby 2.0 stereo, and—surprise! A Blu-ray version is included in this set!

The Verdict

Not Guilty. Whales and dolphins finally get their due.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give Ocean Giants a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

Share This Review

Follow DVD Verdict

Other Reviews You Might Enjoy

• Aquaria
• Young And Restless In China
• Heinrich Himmler: Anatomy Of A Mass Murderer
• Yves Saint Laurent: His Life And Times/5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris