Amazing. The hype is justified. My review.
I was intrigued by this series because it was ranked as the greatest TV series of all time on TV. I bought the season on Amazon Video. I don't know if I would go as far as to say that it was the greatest TV series ever made (I actually don't watch much TV), but it was well worth the money.
It has many things common and uncommon with most nature documentaries. Like most nature documentaries (say, like the ones you watch in an IMAX theater or a museum), this series is focused on stories. There is no examination of systems or macro processes. Every vignette covers one species and focuses on their struggles with survival and mating. What's different about this series is how aesthetically sound and meditative it is. On one level, it is a standard nature documentary. On another level, it is high art. It uses silence, movement, and rigorous framing no different from a European arthouse film from the 1960s.
The most groundbreaking aspect of this series has to be its technology. The series contains shots that would have been considered to be impossible a few years ago. These include tracking shots that last for miles at a stretch and extreme zooming (to the point that you can see the expressions on the face of ants!). The sound design is remarkable, and it is unbelievable how even the faintest of noises (such as a rat running through the ground) have been captured so vividly.
But what makes this series breathtaking is the cinematography and editing. The cinematography is astounding. Vast wide shots (always accompanied with breathtaking motion) covering hundreds of miles blow your mind. I have never seen such beautiful compositions in my life. The most remarkable shot in the series is the last scene in the first episode (I will not spoil it for you). In addition, the photographers have filmed many shots with such delicacy, it breaks your heart. Shots frequently focus directly the animal's face, making it hard for us to dehumanize them (although the animals are not human, LOL). How many photographers can focus on a crabs face, and convey the intense pain that a CRAB must be feeling? Remarkable.
The editing is remarkable. The editor (or editors, if that is the case) is truly multi-talented. For one, s/he is a skilled a technician evidenced in his/her marvelous cuts and sound-syncing (this person has a real ear for music, and sound in general). So many of the chases are edited in the manner of hollywood-style thrillers although there is so little to work with. You are constantly on the edge of your seats, and that is difficult to do when you have horses butting heads! The editor seems to have tried to look at the world from each animal's point of view. While focusing on the pathos of the animal's pain, s/he frequently cuts to wide shots, as though to indicate how the vast complexity of nature subsumes all pains in it. If this editor is new, s/he has a bright future!
Perhaps the only thing that would stop me from giving this series a 10 on 10 is that the writing is not as astounding as the show's technical aspects. Make no mistake, the writing is not bad. It does the job it is required to do, but it lacks the lyrical quality of the cinematography and editing. The narrator is good.
Overall, I would recommend the show if you are a fan of cinematic beauty (although it also works as entertainment). Also, although it does not directly address issues related to evolution, it sparks lots of thoughts related to the process, and makes you understand the finer details of this process better. I recommend!