The Pacific Lost World A delightful educational work from the National Geographic Society, and even with the participation of Englishman David Attenborough as a presenter, reading the voiceover with his signature voice. The film is as unique as the subject of its delightful plot. The ecosystem that has long existed in the Galapagos Islands is unique. Nothing like that anywhere else in the world. The living conditions here are extreme and seem to exclude life itself, but the inhabitants of these amazing lands have adapted to survive in places where at any moment the earth can open up to free fire and lava, where predators constantly destroy the weak, and where the species diversity formed in this gloomy hell is striking. Looking at the terrible difficulties faced by iguanas and other animals of this lost world, one wonders at first their courage and vitality, and only then another thought comes to mind - how did they remove these?
We are talking about two species of local iguanas, and the famous giant turtles, and snakes, and a variety of local birds, even penguins, and mammals. And although the plot does not deprive any of the animals shown here of due attention, the priority of the iguanas as the main characters is not lost. There are those that spend all the time on the coast, often diving into the water to eat vegetation. Here you are already thinking about how it was possible to achieve such a wonderful image under the seething water near the rocky shore, and remove the feeding lizards in such close proximity and from such successful angles. The picture is delightful, and all doubts about the uniformity and grayness of this habitat have already been dispelled. Later you will generally admire the landscapes from a great height. The authors of the film emphasize that this hostile atmosphere has its indescribable charm, and that even the darkest colors have their charm. But it's all about the beginning, and then the events unfold widely and in full form, and before the eyes formed a comprehensive picture. The life of coastal lizards is described in detail and clearly. They feed, mate, breed, fight for life with birds of prey, and bask in the sun, having had time to waste energy and heat in the water. The life cycle is traced from adults to cubs that are hatched from eggs to face feathered killers waiting in the sand. But it's all about one kind of iguana out of two. Soon we will talk about conolofs living in the depths of the land formed by volcanoes.
The life of conolofs is no less intense and terrible, and it is again told in details and colors. And it is not only about colors, but also about grief. There is even a scene where the unfortunate lizard crawls on the cooling lava after a night of trouble, burning his legs, and then in the frame there will be a corpse of another poor fellow who could not overcome the raging elements. Immediately surprisingly removed lava flows at night. Again, I wonder how it could have been captured. But there is no time to fixate on one thing, the female Konolof moves to the center, who is going to make her way to the place of laying eggs. It should climb to the top of the volcano, which does not give scientists unambiguous data about its activity. There, meeting on the way of relatives-competitors who have already taken the best places, the heroine will be forced to go to sheer madness - to go down to the crater to lay eggs in the warmth. Of course, all this will be shown despite the danger in this environment, and the brave mother must then climb an almost sheer wall of a kilometer height, where at any moment a rockfall can begin. The eggs will come out of the cubs, and they are already waiting for hungry birds of prey. If you manage to get out of the crater, bypassing the claws and beaks, then snakes are waiting on the way to the plains, ready to swallow small iguanas whole. This is the cycle of life. This is natural selection.
The film clearly demonstrates the meaning of the phrase “everything is interconnected in nature”. Different species of animals coexist together, forming one large complex. The amazing truth that the destructive forces of nature can create the conditions for the origin of life is clearly explained. The plot is built sequentially, it seems to go on an annual path, not forgetting to mention the name of the months. It is clear that a volcanic hell, after millions of years, can create a blooming paradise. For all its saturation, the film does not strain, but disposes to rest. Musical accompaniment is not enough, and this is good - so preference is rightly given to natural sounds of nature. To scaly lizards, which became the prototype of “Godzilla” directed by Roladn Emmerich, you become attached as characters, and imbued with the idea of sympathy, looking at their difficult life in unprecedented locations. Beautiful, informative, fascinating. Wonderful. Unique.
9 out of 10