Hostile Planet

Hostile Planet is an impactful and visually stunning documentary series presented by the National Geographic Channel in the United States. It premiered in 2019 and is an exploration of the most extreme and harsh environments on Earth and how wildlife has phenomenally adapted to survive and thrive in those conditions. The series gives the viewers an unfiltered insight into the harsh realities of life and the sheer resilience needed to survive on our rapidly changing planet.

Emmy-nominated wildlife cinematographer and mountaineer, Bear Grylls, is the face and voice of this dynamic, suspense-filled series. Grylls is renowned globally for his survival reality TV shows with his intense on-screen charisma and vast knowledge of survival strategies in different terrains, and he brings that energy and intensity to Hostile Planet. His robust narration takes viewers on a dramatic journey through the impacts of climate change on animals and their habitats.

The series is unlike your typical animal documentary. It is a sobering dose of reality demonstrating how climate change affects our living planet. It uniquely merges facets of travel, adventure, wildlife, and environmental documentaries to produce an eclectic mix set to broaden your outlook on the state of our planet and the measures wildlife take to survive.

The six-part series examines six different types of extreme environments – mountains, oceans, grasslands, jungles, deserts, and polar regions. Each episode focuses on a specific environment, revealing the unprecedented challenges faced by the animal inhabitants, their extraordinary survival strategies, and how these adaptations have been ramped up due to climate change.

In the mountains episode, viewers explore the perilous vertical world of mountain-dwelling species. The oceans episode dives into the hardest parts of the world's oceans and the ruthless survival tactics of marine creatures. Next, the grasslands – Earth's most varied landscape – are explored, revealing resilient animals who must compete for sparse resources. In the jungles episode, viewers witness how competition and survival in the rich habitats of rainforests are forcing species to innovate. The desert episode unveils how species survive in the world's driest environments. Finally, in the pole episode, viewers explore the extreme and quickly changing Arctic and Antarctica, where species are adapting to survive thawing ices and warming winters.

The cinematography is groundbreaking and unmatched, capturing the beauty, brutality, and resilience of nature in never-before-seen ways. Camera techniques, such as high-speed shots, ultra-long lenses, and flying drones, were employed to achieve close-up scenes of animal behavior in their natural habitats. The groundbreaking footage, paired with Bear Grylls' gripping storytelling, depicts a raw, brutal yet incredibly resilient planet.

An integral part of the Hostile Planet series is its unmatched visual storytelling and revelation of the effects of climate change. The warming planet and changing environments are a recurrent theme, compelling viewers to confront the consequences of human actions on our shared world.

It's also important to note that Hostile Planet is not simply about survival. It's about the triumph of life against insurmountable odds. In each episode, viewers are introduced to a variety of animals – from the smallest insects to the largest mammals – and are given a firsthand look at the incredible lengths these creatures go to survive, mate, and give rise to a new generation.

In essence, Hostile Planet is more than a documentary – it’s an immersive experience that has been said to reinvent natural history filmmaking. The series blends high-end camera technology, stirring narrative, and expertly shot scenes to capture Earth’s most extreme habitats and the animals that inhabit them. If you have a passion for nature, an interest in the environment, or a desire to understand the dynamics of the planet we call home, Hostile Planet provides an exquisite, grueling, and awe-inspiring perspective on the uncompromising forces of nature and how life endures despite it all. This landmark series from National Geographic not only stands as a testament to the force of life but acts as a vital call to action to protect our natural world.