User reviews

This is definitely BBC's best. The filming is literally like being in a cinema, the shots are breathtaking. In fact, I'd pay to see this at the cinema. The emperor penguin episode absolutely killed me. I spend my whole time watching the episodes saying 'oh my god' 'that's just mad!' etc! Some of the scenes and facts are just incredible. I am so glad to see the BBC have slightly moved the time of showing earlier so kids can watch and learn. (Should be earlier though). Anyone who doesn't watch this is seriously missing out

I've been watching Attenborough documentaries for years, and each time I think it doesn't get any better than this. And it doesn't until the next one.

*Updated* Cried at 3 out of 4 episodes for now. My emotional tank is being emptied pretty fast. This is a next layer of depth to already perfect documentaries by BBC and David Attenborough. Next episode can't come fast enough. "This animal is in bad condition, critical condition, and we think it's not going to M A K E"

Stop whatever you're watching and give this a try, emotion, action and best of all Sir Attenborough's narration makes it awesome.

Only the first episode but it's a masterclass in the power of the edit. Truly remarkable effort put into this ape story that is held together with very clever timeline splicing of no doubt an awful lot of filming, (two years into one hour). Oh and luckily the fashion of slomo fits in well with nature documentaries.

58 min per episode really? I mean really? Its must be 24 hours per Dynasty. Magnificent work, watch in 4K

This series is a true masterpiece of television. The soundtrack, cinematography, and editing are all phenomenal! Honestly, I would rate this above Planet Earth 2. The stories enthral me from the start. The most amazing thing is that the stories are true The BBC NHU have expertly captured the true brutality and fragility of nature.

What an amazing episode. Truly an emotional journey , with the superb cinematography, editing, , directing, music and the soothing voice of the legend himself David Attenborough. Looking for the rest of episodes

When it comes to nature/wildlife documentaries, to me, and most likely many others, David Attenborough (still going strong with no signs of tiring for such an amazingly long career) is the unrivalled king. Just love his delivery, with a voice that one can listen to for hours. Everything he's done (some of it ground-breaking or the quintessential documentary on the subject in question) is so well made, educational, always compelling and have always felt a lot of emotion from a vast majority of them. The best documentaries are landmarks and some of the best ever produced, nature or not.

'Dynasties' is yet another gem in a huge body (several decades worth) of work full of them. Attenborough's filmography is a very, very rare case of not having anything bad in it, even find the more flawed work decent. Not one of his very best, but again only because the gems are so many, but everything so amazing about his work is present here and in a way that doesn't feel tired. The animals covered are familiar ones, but actually the approach 'Dynasties' takes is for an Attenborough documentary not one done much before if ever. In that it follows specific families within specific species. Some of the Attenborough 'Wildlife Specials' did it but not to this extent.

It looks amazing for starters. The scenery takes the breath away, especially in "Tiger", but it is more than just beautiful scenery. For example in "Emperor" one is reminded of how cruel the Antarctic can be. The scenery is complemented by photography of quite cinematic quality, not just a feast for the eyes but it is also expansive and intimate in equal measure, enhancing the impact of the emotional and tense scenes of which in 'Dynasties' there are many. A fine example being the wild action in "Lion". The music has both grandeur and atmosphere, not intrusive at all and adds a lot more than once.

As one can expect, the narration is very thought-provoking and never rambling or speculative. Although the animals themselves (here chimpanzees, emperor penguins, lions, painted wolves and tigers) and the habitats are familiar, the approach that they are explored in feels fresh and sees the animals in a new light, or so that's how it felt. 'Dynasties' did not feel like five episodes, it felt like five individual stories with animals portrayed as relatable characters (without being too humanised, even when given names like David the Chimpanzee) and a wide range of emotions.

Don't let the criticisms 'Dynasties' faced before airing put you off, the portrayal of the animals is not reassuring on the most part and certainly never one-sided but instead complex and uncompromising, while the landscapes have more than them than looking glorious and nothing feels sugar-coated or over-humanised. A lot of information is covered but felt properly explored and not rushed or disjointed, and the facts educate and illuminate while not being compromised for the emotionally complex storytelling. One does feel upset and angry at what happened to David, and the penguins facing perilous danger leaves penguin lovers biting their nails. But the scene that stayed with me the most was the chilling and heart-wrenching scene with Red and the hyenas in "Lion".

Once again, Attenborough's distinctive and unequalled narrative delivery is sincere, enthusiastic as well as understated. One can listen to him for a long time and not tire of him, no other nature/wildlife documentary narrator/presenter has made me feel this way. The behind the scenes footage fascinates and also leaves emotional impact at how inspirational the crew are, especially in "Emperor".

Summarising, wonderful. For me it was one of television's 2018 highlights, only took me so long to review it due to being busy and having lots to watch and review. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I've just finished the second episode and I don't know if I have the emotional capacity to watch next week's one. An absolute must watch.

Excellent documentary as always from David Attenborough and the BBC. Such commitment from everyone involved to get one of the most informative animal programmes available. 10/10 for the human intervention with the penguin episode keep up the good work. Brilliant!

It even surpasses Planet Earth because we really get to dig deeper into the sociology of these animals. With a Planet Earth episode, you are getting just snippets of 10-25 animals an episode. But here we get a full hour of following just one animal family around. It's truly a masterpiece.

This 2018 wildlife series unexpectedly returned in the winter of 2020 with a Meerkat special which encouraged me to come back here and re-assess it. With Attenborough on narration duties it's a classic slab of BBC wildlife fare - the shtick in "Dynasties" is that you're following, per episode, a different familial legacy of one species. Often when trying to make a narrative out of an animal's life the temptation is to fall into comforting anthropomorphic cliches and it really is the lowest form of nature doc. However the BBC wildlife unit are a hardier bunch and so Dynasties is often extraordinarily brutal - the lives of a wild animal are often ones of hardship and extreme struggle so it's done with an admirable detachment.

That being said - like a handful of modern nature docs it is often so detached that the obligatory behind the scenes segments end up being more engaging, diverting and fascinating than the bulk of the programme itself. Full of the human of struggle of filming the thing - I still keenly remember the stark moral dilemma facing the crew of the penguin documentary to this day. So beautifully shot, of course, but I'm often more drawn to the last ten minutes than the sterile brutal realities of living the animal life.

The footage of chimpanzees in episode one is unarguably amazing photography, earning 5 stars off the bat. Alas the production leaves me rolling my eyes again and again. I've only watched episode one, and I doubt I'll watch another.

The narration tries to over-dramatize the sequences rather than present the gestalt of the chimpanzee troop's reality. Individuals are named to the detriment of each, trying to force roles of kingship, follower, loner, etc. On these wonderful non-human animals as if some underlying Shakespearean drama were unfolding.

The choice to use slow motion frequently throughout ruins the production further. Surely also an attempt to dramatize movement, relationships and contrived storyline. The tactic fails utterly, leaving one to feel this is a human tale, rather than a chimpanzee one.

Look no further than Seven Worlds One Planet for incredible footage presented right, with class and context but without Lion King stylized aspirations.

The dedication of the people who filmed these complex animals in their environment is absolutely breath taking and awe inspiring. I laughed, sobbed and was in totally adoration. If I could give it above a 10 star I absolutely would. It's a must see!

Sir David's Attenborough is the King of Documentaries and he has proven it once more with this master piece series.

I see another Primetime Award for this series.

I can't find right words to describe this unique masterpiece. It's the most emotional wild life documentary I've ever seen! Emperor is the best - ratings here prove it. I hope they will continue making this fabulous documentary. Thanks to all crew members for this incredible work!

We have witnessed one of the five great animals survival and I am so so deeply in love with these animals. My respect is grown and thanks to David Attenborough and his team to show us in a spectacular way. Many more to come.....

A must see! Drama, suspense, happyness and sadness. This series are an incredible piece of work that awakens a lot of feelings when being watched. Love the interviews and behind the scenes with the crew. One of the best animal documentaries I be ever seen.

Easily one of the best documentary series going! Like your watching a real life movie every episode! Must watch

As a human, I feel ashamed after watching this series. We are digging the soil to bring the precious gems out from it but slaying our real alive gems who actually make this planet Earth. This series narrated by Sir David is priceless. Unique cast, amazing cinematography, and soul-shaking narration it has everything. Series shed the light on every corner the challenges faced by animals both in their natural world and a world created by us. I hope it brings more people's attention to the injustice which we are doing with the real possessors of this earth.

Amazing work for showing the beauty and the diversity of life. So much effort from the people working on this, really shows that they care to do a proper job.

Camerawork is amazing, David is irreplaceable, execution excellent, music suits the scenes perfectly.

Clean 10/10

It spends too much time on one species. It's still good, but not as good as other series where they bounce around the planet, or a region, exploring a variety of other creatures.

I am a huge fan however this series did not deliver. Was very average with information and the gaps in their lines of stories was disappointing. It was as if you watched a normal costibg documentary. This information on these animals are readily availble in other documentaries. The penguins had some great clips and information but again only small portions. The lions and tigers had nothing new to offer. Not worth your time and i was bored. I am a true animal documentary lover and this was truly disappointing.

Totally Unbelievable. What a masterpiece. Cinematography as its best. Fabulous story. Fascinating Narration.