Walking with Beasts

Walking with Beasts is a six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by BBC Natural History Unit as a sequel to Walking with Dinosaurs and showcasing the fauna of the Cenozoic era. The series first aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2001.

Episodes

 * New Dawn
 * Whale Killer
 * Land of Giants
 * Next of Kin
 * Sabre Tooth
 * Mammoth Journey

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It continues the Walking with Dinosaurs series and shares many of its own good qualities
 * 2) The visuals are utterly astounding, whether its detailed CG and models that move with actual weight to them, or lifelike animatronic puppets.
 * 3) Kenneth Branagh has plenty of pathos and gravitas that make his narration excellent.
 * 4) Actually commits to a nature documentary aesthetic, so no dumb cutaways to talking heads.
 * 5) All of the animals act like animals and nothing like stupid movie monsters, having all the nuanced behaviours that come with such.
 * 6) Its willing to show just how gruesome nature can get, without going to ridiculous levels.
 * 7) The cinematography is lush and vibrant and helps fuel the show's nature documentary style and theming.
 * 8) The show's storytelling makes you care for the animals.
 * 9) Ben Barlett's score is excellent and atmospheric.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Some of the science has marched on.
 * 2) The series can be way too scary for younger viewers, even by the standards of the franchise.
 * 3) The US version, Prehistoric Planet (narrated by Christian Slater) has a dumbed down script full of corny humor.

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