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Experience the beauty and violence of a wet
season in the top end. That’s the catchphrase for this disk, and I have to
say, it’s spot on. Starting at the end of a dry season the big wet tells the
story of life and death at the mercy of the elements during the prevailing
months.
Being an ABC documentary, you know that the
quality won’t be suspect. There is however the fear that it will be all too
reminiscent of the documentary’s you were forced to watch at school (Don’t
pretend you can’t remember them!). Although not grabbing you by the throat
from the get go, this definitely draws you in, like any good documentary
should.
Following the lives of wallabies, crocodiles,
geese, insects, frogs (the list goes on). The big wet has plenty to keep you
watching for the 55 minutes it spans. Whilst not chock full of cool pointless
facts to tell your friends, you will no doubt we surprised at some of what you
see. From peak of the floods, to the vibrant colored flowers, in what was
basically but a desert not 4 months ago. One of the most spectacular scenes
however is footage of clouds, shot in time-lapse with a red sun in the
background. You could be forgiven for mistaking this for an atomic bomb (well
almost), quite stunning, whatever way you look at it. And then there are the
animals. Seeing what the wallabies have to go through to stay alive during the
floods does make you wonder just how species manage to stay alive in the top
end. Basically it can be summed up in 3 words. Fire or Flood. The wet season
is most definitely a wondrous place. And the will that the animals display is
truly remarkable. Having always been a big fan of central Australia, this disc
is quite a find.
For the most part, the picture on the disk is
excellent. There doesn’t seem to be any problems with transfer, and generally
the picture is razor sharp. The problems found all seem to do with the way the
footage was originally filmed (hardly the fault of the DVD), mainly being
grainy in dark slow motion shots (most likely due to the film used having a
high ISO). The one thing I did find bizarre was the aspect ratio. 14x9, not
full frame, and not widescreen. On screen however it looks just like your
normal full frame image.
Presented in 2.0 digital, everything appears clear throughout the disc, from
the narration, to the bizarre noises, coming from some of the creatures. This
disk really does sound quite grand.
Sadly,
none.
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