DVD Corner

Wonders Of The Universe Blu-ray Review

“Wonders Of The Universe” offers up some intriguing material, but the series is not as entertaining as other similar programs.

“Wonders Of The Universe” (a sequel series to “Wonders Of The Solar System”) is a science documentary series hosted by the giddy Professor Brian Cox (not the actor). In this series, Professor Cox sets out to see how things work and tackles physics and philosophical heavy issues. The series consists of 4 episodes titled “Destiny,” ‘Stardust,” “Falling” and “Messengers.” The episodes mainly cover time perception, cycles of stars, death of stars, stardust, the second law of Thermodynamics, gravity, light, the speed of light, and where humans came from.

If you are looking for an accessible documentary series like “The Universe,” “Wonders Of The Universe” might not be for you. This is a much deeper, less entertaining, and less accessible series. The bulk of the series sees Professor Cox traveling to cities around the world in order to make points and correlations to ideas he is nerding out about. Sometimes CGI is used to demonstarte an idea. Cox has a tendency to ramble on in-depth about these topics which can feel a bit like he’s doing a podcast or video diary.

Complaints side, however, there are some interesting concepts to ponder here especially in the “Stardust” episode in which Cox discusses that humans are a result of dead stars. The other 3 episodes are informative as well although a lot of this material has been covered in other series such as the aforementioned “The Universe.”

Summary: If you love programs about space and science, “Wonders Of The Universe” might appeal to you.

Video/Audio:

In typical BBC science/nature docu fashion, the widescreen 1080i picture quality is gorgeous. Whether you are seeing Brian Cox on top of a snowy mountain and a desert, or geysers and telescopes in New Mexico, the imagery is breathtaking. The only downside here is that some of the night sequences are very grainy. On a side note, I keep wondering why most BBC discs are presented in 1080i and not 1080p.

The Dolby Digital Stereo audio track is flat, but serviceable.

The only extra is a trailer for BBC Earth titles.

October 9, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Gravity, Professor Brian Cox, Stardust, Stars, The Universe, Wonders Of The Solar System, Wonders Of The Universe Blu-ray Review