LATEST REVIEWS

‘Alien Worlds’: One of Netflix’s Best Nature Documentaries of the Year Isn’t Even Set on our Planet

Photo: ‘Alien Worlds’/Netflix

When we conjure up images of life on other planets, we have a host of sources to draw from. Perhaps we think of the little green men parodied in Paul, or the prawns from District 9, or the oddities that made us laugh in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! We’ve seen aliens depicted as allies (Arrival, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), aggressors (Independence Day, War of the Worlds), or something completely beyond our comprehension (Annihilation).

As fun as these are to entertain, Netflix’s new documentary miniseries paints a more realistic, but no less intriguing, portrait of potential alien life. Rooted in fact and scientific speculation, each of the four episodes focuses on a different planet beyond our solar system, and the type of life that may exist there. Combining stunning visuals with fascinating interviews, Alien Worlds varies little from other spectacular Netflix nature outings such as Our Planet or Night on Earth in terms of style and quality despite its core subject matter being entirely theoretical.

Related article: ‘My Octopus Teacher’: The Emotional Nature Documentary We Need – A Meditative Experience

Related article: ‘A Life on Our Planet’: By David Attenborough – A Reprise on Regenerating Earth’s Biodiversity

‘Alien Worlds’ – All Creatures Great and Small

For a show centered on aliens, a surprising amount of the runtime is spent on our green and blue ball of a home. The show will sweep you around the planet from the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, to the impact crater in the Yucatán Peninsula, to the Cueva de Villa Luz in Mexico. Each of these locations (which appear almost more alien than the carefully painted digital landscapes) serve as jumping points for the planets Atlas, Janus, and Eden. Earthly creatures such as mayflies, ants, and hummingbirds form the basis for the series’ fantastical six-winged sky-grazers, blob-like predators, and the particularly charming ten-eyed pentapods.

The series treats the aliens, meticulously crafted from computer-generated imagery, no differently than David Attenborough would treat any resident of the jungle, desert, or ocean. Each alien creature and their environment mirrors nature as we know it, right down to the obligatory death of newborns and shots of predator versus prey, presented to tug at our heartstrings. Nature can be brutal, after all, no matter what planet you’re living on.

This isn’t to say that you’ll end up tuning in to a high school biology class. The show strikes the right educational chords while never talking down to or losing its audience. The show engages experts in a wide variety of fields, going beyond the obvious choices of astrophysicists, ecologists, and marine biologists and adding flavor with the addition of a master falconer, a professional paraglider, and a hunter-gatherer from an East African tribe. At no point are any of these experts sitting and talking to the camera; they are constantly doing, their testimonies accompanied by cinematic action. 

Related article: MUST WATCH – Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s Love Letter to Black Lives Matter – VIDEO

Subscribe to Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. 

The cerebral, other-worldly images will linger with the viewer long after the credits are rolling and Netflix is recommending season four of Big Mouth. While learning about the life of fungi doesn’t sound like entertainment, Alien Worlds delights the eyes with every frame. Whether it’s a map made of light, a tropical planet that has swapped green for red, or a cute baby Timone, you will be drawn in by this visual masterpiece. So much so, you won’t even notice how much you’ve learned until you pull the term ‘snottite’ out of your hat at your next Zoom party. 

Ok, But What About the Real Aliens?

Pentapods and killer blobs are all very well, but what about intelligent life? What might they look like? That is if they even exist in that vast expanse of void.

The series certainly leans towards the affirmative. As astrophysicist Adam Frank states, “I do believe there is other life in the universe. And as a scientist, I’m taken to that belief because I really believe that’s where the numbers now are leading us.” And how many planets in the universe do the numbers say could hold an alien civilization? 10 billion trillions. Including a potential society of brains in jars.

Related article: The Power of Positivity: Ikorodu Bois + Chris Hemsworth + Russo Brothers + Sam Hargrave

Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to Hollywood Insider

Click here to read more on Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy. 

The final episode lands on a planet named Terra, whose intelligent inhabitants have evolved past the need for physical bodies and now exist as a collective hive mind maintained by robots. This may sound more like the premise of a Philip K. Dick novel than the subject of a nature documentary, but the series anchors their finale’s premise by continuing to root these speculations in fact. After spending time with the nine-brained octopus (another fun fact for that Zoom party), a NASA astronaut, and a Star Wars-looking power grid in the Sahara desert, the idea that civilization would exist as Matrix-style, robot-maintained brains in boxes no longer seems quite as far-fetched.

Hope for a Doomed Planet

These days, it seems every news story that is not about a global pandemic or changes in government is about the race to become carbon-neutral by 2050. With the increasing popularity of zero-waste and vegan movements, the gathering force of the Extinction Rebellion, and the growing celebrity of Greta Thunberg, it would appear that the world is finally waking up to the true calamity that climate change could bring. While documentaries like 2040 highlight how we can prevent the dark fate we’ve created for ourselves, Alien Worlds offers another solution; colonization.

Related article: Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase: “The Importance of Venice Film Festival as the Protector of Cinema”

Related article: The Masters of Cinema Archives: Hollywood Insider Pays Tribute to ‘La Vie En Rose’, Exclusive Interview with Director Olivier Dahan

The series isn’t subtle about this message. The theoretical intelligent race of Terra is shown turning a once lush paradise barren with their excessive consumption of power. Their race only survives by using technology to make other planets suitable for habitation. It’s far from a happily ever after, with astronaut Michael Foale stating that perhaps one in a hundred spaceships would make it to their final destination. Still, that is a marked improvement over extinction, and the series as a whole presses the themes of life as miraculous and not to be wasted or taken for granted.

If Alien Worlds could be summed up in four words, they would be “life finds a way.” Whether you’re a science-fiction enthusiast, looking to switch up your usual comedy or drama entertainment, or have always been partial to the nature documentary format, you will find this Netflix mini-series three hours well-spent. All four episodes are a combination of dedicated research combined with spectacular visuals with an underlying message of cautious hope for humanity’s future.

‘Alien Worlds’ is now available to view on Netflix.

By Cat Sole

Click here to read Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Black Lives Matter, in which he tackles more than just police reform, press freedom and more – click here.

An excerpt from the love letter: Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “Hollywood Insider fully supports the much-needed Black Lives Matter movement. We are actively, physically and digitally a part of this global movement. We will continue reporting on this major issue of police brutality and legal murders of Black people to hold the system accountable. We will continue reporting on this major issue with kindness and respect to all Black people, as each and every one of them are seen and heard. Just a reminder, that the Black Lives Matter movement is about more than just police brutality and extends into banking, housing, education, medical, infrastructure, etc. We have the space and time for all your stories. We believe in peaceful/non-violent protests and I would like to request the rest of media to focus on 95% of the protests that are peaceful and working effectively with positive changes happening daily. Media has a responsibility to better the world and Hollywood Insider will continue to do so.”

More Interesting Stories From Hollywood Insider

– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY

– Compilation: All James Bond 007 Opening Sequences From 1962 Sean Connery to Daniel Craig

– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece

– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond

– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More

Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds, Alien Worlds

Author

  • Cat Sole is a Kiwi screenwriter and script consultant based in Sydney. In a culture that is often more interested in tearing down content in searching for every minute flaw, Cat's goals are in line with the Hollywood Insider's to examine why quality content works and how both filmmakers and critics alike can learn from the best the industry has to offer. This philosophy is reflected in all of Cat's endeavors.

Recent Posts

SHOCKING – HRH Princess Catherine Announces Cancer Treatment | Requests Peace & Privacy for Healing

HRH Princess Catherine bravely announces cancer treatment, requesting peace and privacy away from all chaos…

6 days ago

Must-See ‘Dune Part Two’: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Austin Butler Dazzle

The stars have aligned for the second Dune film, as audiences flock to see the…

1 week ago

This website uses cookies.