Prehistoric Planet: All Episodes Ranked and Overall Thoughts

It is done. I have finished Prehistoric Planet. While I had some difficulties setting it up and thus had the hype deflated a bit for me, I loved it through and through, and its certainly one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while.

SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

5. Freshwater

By no means is Freshwater a bad episode. As I have wrote before, it's merely the least good of the series: not many of the sequences take place within lakes, wetlands, and rivers, so we don't get any fun swimming scenes and none of the cool fish or crocodilians of the time (ignoring they're practically mundane conpared to other mesozoic ones). A T. rex scene is completely superfluous, only having one wade in river as a connection, and for got knows what reason they stuck Quetzalcoatlus in Madagascar of all places (even if it was just for breeding). It doesn't help it barely has its own identity in technical side: the colour palates of each segments, or even segments themselves, are literally in every episode (green = Forests, yellow = Deserts) and could be slotted in with minimal effort.

But all that said, I still had fun with Freshwater. The Deinocheirus sequence was both imposingly majestic and hilarious in how over the top a scratching scene was. The introductory sequence of Raptors hunting juvenile azhdarchids was astounding the way they maneuvered on ledges of cliff, in what's definitely one of the best depictions od feathered raptors anywhere. We got to see Quetzalcoatlus as a caring parent and fighting amongst one another, something rarely done in Palaeo-Media, superbly portrayed in its slender, tall glory. The estuary scene with some unnamed plesiosaurs was also fun to watch, especially with how the waters mix from the river to ocean.

Honestly, Freshwater is the one episode I'd recommend skipping. It doesn't live up to the premise and potential its title suggests. At most, just watch one or two segments of it before moving on.

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 8/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 10/10
• Story - 7/10
• Rewatchability - 7/10

4. Forests

Compared to the last episode, this episode feels like a major improvement. The subject of forests actually applies to Forests, as all the dinosaurs are in forests, and its quite picturesque as a result.

My favourite in the episode would have to be one with Therizinosaurus finally getting its due, whether as adorable babies or a majestically alien adult. The other segments shine in the green palate of the ep too, particularly Triceratops in a place you'd never guess in order to digest plants. The rest of the sequences were also great.

However, the biggest problem with the episode is that the ending in Hateg (already feeling like it squanders potential) feels pretty anti-climactic considering its the finale of it. A Hatzegopteryx just walks on a beach, doesn't even interact with the dinosaurs, and flies off into the sunset, the end. That's it. No final statement from David on the beauty of evolution or the mesozoic, no final montage, no nothing. What a letdown!

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 8/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 10/10
• Story - 7/10
• Rewatchability - 9/10

3. Coasts

As the first episode, Coasts is a very good introduction to Prehistoric Planet, especially since most of Earth has always been mostly water. Everything is out the gate excellent: the segments and species are wondrous, the cinematography is wide and great, and the behaviour both expected and speculative is excellent, like a Mosasaurus basking to let itself be cleaned by fish and shrimp. At the same time, it makes it clear this won't shy away from the darker topics, as seen with a sequence with baby pterosaurs getting massacred.

I do like that the episode feels a lot more focused then the rest of the episodes combined, having a clear story of of the cycle of life, from birth to death, even if it wasn't intended.

Now as we reach the cream of the crop, it does mark the point where differences in quality are down to personal preference. Hell, I'd rank them equally if I could!

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 8/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 10/10
• Story - 8/10
• Rewatchability - 10/10

2. Ice Worlds

As obvious a pun it is, Ice Worlds is a very cool episode. Everything the series does well in on full display here: unique behaviours in the All Yesterdays mould, breathtaking cinematography of forests and snow, and wonderful designs. The Prince Creek Formation sequences, while fast becoming a cliched setting for dinosaur documentaries with its lineup of Nanuqsaurus, Edmontosaurus, troodont (who spoilers: are literally pyros a la certain raptors today), and Pachyrhinosaurus, is excellent, and adds both a dromaosaur and Ornithomimus to mix it up, with the latter getting to be. The russian Olorotitan gets time to shine, and so does Antarctica's Antarctopelta, including a beautiful scene in a cave and its lifeforms.

However, I do feel that the mammal Cimolodon, the only mammals in the series in fact, are wasted as mere fodder. Meanwhile, I do find it odd the Edmontosaurus is referred to only as a hadrosaur. There are also a few other minor flaws that keep it from being number one.

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 9/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 10/10
• Story - 9/10
• Rewatchability - 9/10

And speaking of...

1. Deserts

This. This is not only my favourite episode of Prehistoric Planet, its one of my favourite pieces of palaeo-media I've seen in a while.

Every segment is good. A hadrosaur scene is hauntingly beautiful with white sand and the night sky. A scene of Mononykus hunting grubs is fun and cute. A pterosaur sequence fascinatingly delves into gender divergence of animals with short-crested male pterosaurs that mimic females. And do I need to mention the Dreadnoughtus battle scene? It alone practically makes it #1 one the list.

All of them are presented in the most breathtaking cinematography, CG, and music you'll ever see anywhere, let alone a documentary, and they're some if not of the best in the series.

Just about the only bad scene I feel is the watering hole (picture). I feel it feels a bit too much like a video game cutscene, and the big sauropods (while based of actual fossil trackways) who come feel very unnecessary when Dreadnoughtus is a thing here. Thankfully, the rest of the episode more then makes up for it.

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 9/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 10/10
• Story - 9/10
• Rewatchability - 10/10

Overall...

This is the part where I go over how I'd improve the work. Now then, let's get started!

First, I'd put "Hank" the male T. rex and its offspring recurring characters. They'd appear at the start of each episode in a setting and situation connected to the episode before segueing into the main body of the episode, before returning at the end. For instance, Deserts would take place during a hot day in the dry season.

As mentioned above, make Freshwater about, well, Freshwater, with segments for crocodilians and mammals, such as Leidysuchus and Didelphodon, as well as notable fish of the period.

I'd add a sixth episode to the series, Islands. It would be focused on Madagascar and Hateg Island to give them more breathing room, but also focused on other isolated landmasses, like India and Appalachia, and how isolation makes new and specialised species, whether that's the more basal tyrannosaur Dryptosaurus, snake Sanajeh, and a hell lot more Hateg and Malagasy fauna, if not name them and do more with them. Naturally, the Masiaksaurus and Hateg fauna from their respective eps would be moved over to here.

The ending would be a flashforward to our time, with David Attenburogh in the same museum as the intro and waxing about the success of the Mesozoic.

I will be honest: after all the hype going into it, not everything is great in Prehistoric Planet. Its quite clear that overall technical quality is where it shines: the models courtesy of MPC are so detailed and the lighting effects are so great, many have gone as far to say they could be mistaken for actual photos; a few puppets round them out but stand on their own to good effect. Meanwhile, not only is awesomebro behaviour avoided, their are tons of unique behaviours observed in modern animals but unknown from fossils, and often the opposite of stereotypes associated with them, help complete a sense of realism. 

However, the series all let down by how unfocused it feels, jumping from place to place with little time to spare due to its Planet Earth-style format, and it leaves out many of the really interesting creatures at most or at least not for long. It doesn't help interesting groups, like mammals and crocodiles, nigh-absent.

But don't let that stop you from avoiding Prehistoric Planet: as perhaps the biggest paleao-media to come out in years. I hope it inspires more of its kind, whether indie or AAA (if you get what I mean).

Here's also hoping the success of it spurs a sequel series that improves on the series' narrative flaws and is even better then even the excellence of Prehistoric Planet.

• Accuracy - 9/10
• Aging - 9/10
• Presentation - 9/10
• Visuals - 10/10
• Music - 9/10
• Story - 9/10
• Rewatchability - 9/10
• Overall - 10/10