: 'Right, that's standing upright off the to-do list. Now we just need to evolve opposable thumbs. Photos: Handout
One of the most startling things about Prehistoric Planet, the new BBC documentary series hosted by the evergreen, ever-animated Sir David Attenborough, is... the feathers.
Yes, you read that right. Further reinforcing contemporary palaeontological research (that is, dinosaur theory) that these terrible lizards were indeed the ancestors of birds, the dinos here largely have feathers.
Some appear drab, initially, as if cushioning viewers used to nearly 30 years of Jurassic Park films and 20-odd years of BBC documentaries (beginning with 1999's Walking With Dinosaurs).
Then again, Jurassic World: Dominion and its new "pure genome" restored dinosaurs sport magnificent plumage as well, so... just get used to it.
'I'm ready for my close-up now, Mr Attenborough ... Sir.'
Prehistoric Planet comes to us courtesy of BBC Natural History Unit veteran Mike Gunton and a certain Jon Favreau, utilising the photorealistic visual effects technology from the latter's The Jungle Book and The Lion King "live action" remakes.
It's a can't-miss combination, Attenborough's mesmerising narration and the stunning sights, as well as some crafty scripting that convinces us even merciless predators can be caring parents and partners.
This debut season (the first of many to come, we hope) is divided into five episodes, each covering the ongoing struggle for survival in a different habitat: Coasts, Deserts, Freshwater, Ice Worlds, and Forests.
Not content to bowl us over with its dinosaurs, the series even offers amazing sights like an elaborate mating display of ammonites, gathering in the thousands off the coast for a grand bioluminescent show on their final evening of life.
Whether it's a pack of bony-crested herbivores "circling the wagons" against a trio of tyrannosaurid predators in the middle of a blizzard; feathered velociraptors preparing to pounce on roosting pterosaurs without panicking the whole lot into flying the coop (er, cliff); or a baby duckbilled dino struggling to escape an icy river while its worried parent can only watch, Prehistoric Planet is crammed full of fascinating anecdotes featuring creatures that have captivated us for decades.
It's commendable how the people behind Prehistoric Planet succeed in making such bite-size tales so involving that we get invested in the creatures' struggles, even emotionally in some cases.
'I swear, I'll claw out the eyes of the first human who calls me an Archaeopteryx.'
It's also a great coup getting Attenborough to host this, because after dozens of hours of hearing him narrate nature documentaries, his familiar (and, dare I say, reassuring) voice seals the deal – immersing us completely into this harsh, beautiful, simple world from over 60 million years ago.
As a character in the latest Jurassic franchise movie puts it, the appeal of these beasts that existed so very long ago – aside from their general magnificence – also lies in the realisation that we humans were neither the first nor the only dominant beings on this planet.
They remind us how brief our claim to dominion has been, and the realisation is both awe-inspiring and humbling. And Prehistoric Planet is both those things, too.
All five episodes of Prehistoric Planet are available to stream on Apple TV+.
Summary:
'Prehistoric Planet' is just the spectacle we need now that dinosaurs are all the rage again.
