The new Netflix nature docuseries, 'Our Planet’ narrated by David Attenborough has been criticised as deeply disturbing by a vast amount of viewers. The series consists of eight episodes, each focusing on different parts of our environment.
Netflix has issued a content warning due to graphic scenes. "As you make your way through @OurPlanet, here are some moments animal lovers may want to skip," Netflix said on Twitter, alongside a list of time frames, which sensitive viewers may wish to skip.
In the second episode of the docuseries, 'Frozen Worlds', scenes of walruses falling to their death from 250ft hills, due to the continuously decreasing amount of sea ice in northeast Russia. This has led many viewers to criticise the show on social networking sites, such as Twitter. Despite the distressing scenes in the docuseries, many people have agreed that we should be disturbed, as this is our own doing.
Cameron Pope, a 21-year-old student from London recommended the docuseries to all his friends and family. “A lot of people don’t realise a problem exists or refuse to believe it until they see it and this was a perfect warning for all those people,” said Cameron.
The reactions to the docuseries varied drastically, from some being absolutely appalled that such graphic scenes were allowed to be broadcast, such as local mother of 3 from Brighton, Kelly Hitchcock. According to Ms. Mitchcock, who stumbled across the documentary before the warning was issued, “the documentary should have been put out there in my opinion, I was so excited to watch it with my two youngest boys, and then ended up having to explain why animals are dying to my 6-year-old.”
Compared to his objective approach in previous docuseries, 'Planet Earth' and 'Planet Earth II', Attenborough adopts the role of an advocate in 'Our Planet' in an active attempt to evoke change and encourage people to take climate change seriously. Although ‘Our Planet’ continues to offer picturesque landscapes and awe-inspiring views, it uncovers the catastrophic impact climate change is having.
When speaking at a World Wildlife Fund event back in 2018, Attenborough spoke about his reason for partnering up with Netflix for ‘Our Planet’, “The BBC, powerful and pervasive though it is, can’t reach 200million people overnight, simultaneously. This particular ambition — of reaching the vast majority of TV sets in the world — is very important and the message is urgent.”
He continued, ”The natural world is in crisis. Let’s not mince words. It really is in crisis. We are in trouble.”
Nature series come hand in hand with animal death, however, 'Our Planet' reveals much more than your usual Lion vs Gazelle fight. This series uncovers a dark truth about our planet. The series was filmed over a period of four years, across different countries, all of which were affected by climate change.
Other graphic scenes include fish getting stuck in fishing nets, and a baby flamingo's legs solidifying in salt deposits, as a result of natural water resources drying up. The effects of climate change are brutal to watch, hence the urgency to unveil these dark truths, and who better to do it than our national treasure, David Attenborough.
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