The best nature Documentary is the ultimate trip, minus drugs. I’m talking about the kind of movie that makes you feel like you’re sweating in the savanna, frozen in the Arctic or staring into the eyes of predators. The best documentaries won’t give you beautiful pictures and happy endings – they give you depth in the wild, dark corners where survival is an indifferent battle. Those who make you question everything you know about the circle of life and what it means to be live.
Here is a guide to the best nature documentary. These preferred reminders are that the Earth is not the background of our story, but a living, breathing entity that moves forward regardless of whether we choose to pay attention or not.
Need to watch a movie? Check out our guide to the best streaming devices, best TVs and best speaker bars.
Unlimited access to power wired. Getting a first-class report is too important to ignore $2.50 $1 year per month. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive content for subscribers only. Subscribe now.
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Call up Koyaanisqatsi Nature’s documentaries may feel like a stretch, but no other nonfiction films have made clearer criticisms about the relationship between humans, the systems we create, and the environment that sustains us. The title is a Hopi word that translates to “Life in Chaos” which tells you almost what’s inside: the long and gorgeous shots of the natural world juxtapose with fast, hypnotic human lenses of human daily grinding. We see people commuting through city centers, factory workers assemble cars, suburban mom grocery shopping, heavy machine mining minerals, and fighter jets blow up things. Things accelerate to delay and crawl into slow motion. All of this is accompanied by Philip Glass’ thrilling, repetition and mental state scores, which chant in Brass, Synthesizer and Basso Profundo. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing is the fact Koyaanisqatsi It was launched in 1982, but its self-evident observations about how we develop the environment in the name of business and progress are more prescient. – Michael Calore
Baraka (1992)
This movie can be considered a spiritual sequel Koyaanisqatsi. BarakaDirector Ron Fricke is a photographer Koyaanisqatsiboth films use similar structures – slow motion and time-lapse shots of life on Earth, non-reversing structures without dialogue, and memorable scores – commenting on the balance between humans, nature and the world economy. This is sometimes a grim film that shows the stark footage of industrial rampage and how society’s most vulnerable citizens struggle and often fail to meet their basic needs. But strangely, it is also exciting when the whole process. The film visits dozens of sacred cultural and spiritual attractions around the world, showing songs, dances and religious rituals that are sure to include some new experiences for almost everyone watching. In any other documentary, the locations and footage of animals I’ve never seen before is dazzling. Baraka It is a crash course in the world’s cultural and ecological diversity, and it will give you an idea of how wide our planet is and how it feels. – Michael Calore
Penguin March (2005)
Penguin Parade Take the Emperor Penguin as a romantic monogamy (not), dedicated parents (a kind) and frozen hellish conqueror (absolute). The fact is reduced than the Antarctic tundra. Survival here is cruel and beautiful. The sensational film, filmed around the year-old Dumont D’Urville base in Adélie Land, follows thousands of penguins in the annual immigration to breeding situations where parents are foraging for egg warming and food foraging. Never wade seems so noble. Have I mentioned that Morgan Freeman tells it?
Grey Man (2005)
Grey man Not a wildlife documentary, but a tragic love story between humans and the wilderness. Amateur environmentalist Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers filming himself in Alaska Grizzlies, naming, petting them, sometimes hand-feeding until one of them killed him and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Tredwell believes in the wild to love him. Herzog only saw how small our chin was.
Earth I-III (2006-2023)
I feel like everyone has seen it Planets on Earthbut we will no longer include this TV series in our favorites list. I re-watch it every year. Since its inception in 2006, when it was filmed at high definition it was a big deal, and when shooting it was using drones and deep-sea submersibles. Earth iii In 2023, Planets on Earth There are amazing intimate shots and of course the iconic narrator Sir David Attenborough.
