The Future is Wild
5 Million Years From Now...

Review by James Anthony

Click here for DVD details at a glance

Very few things living in the very much different-looking planet are recognisable and in fact are so strange they verge on being ludicrous. And yet, if you watch the extras in this DVD your sceptiscism is very much reduced.

And that is one of the drawbacks of looking forward so far. So much of what you see is very similar to that of Walking With Beasts - the series that looked at a post-dinosaur Earth.

There, however, the creatures were real and had existed. They were strange, but real. The hypothetical creatures in The Future is Wild are not and this makes it tough to take the series seriously.

The case for the Gannetwhales, Shagrats, Snowstalkers, Cryptiles, Babookari, Deathgleaners, Carakillas and Rattlebacks is not helped at times by less than brilliant animations of their critters.

However, we are talking about experts suggesting what could be and it becomes more and more fascinating as it goes on.

I would have liked to have known what became of us - humans - and for the series to have taken a wider look at the planet, rather than focus on the limited number of fantastic creatures.

It is almost worth watching the extras before the series to see where the producers are coming from.

The Future is Wild is initially far-fetched, but if you look beyond the scientists-on-LSD reaction you'll be in for a look at the future that will make your head spin.

Conclusion: 80% Extras: 75%.

Continued: DVD details at a glance >