Finding Life Beyond Earth is a little disingenuous in its packaging. It is indeed about the potential for life on other planets, but instead of one continuous program, it is the melding of separate segments. As a result, there’s a good deal of repetition for those who might have missed the last one, or are generally a little slow. All of the information presented is worthwhile, but the presentation leaves something to be desired.
Early on, we are told that life requires three separate elements to emerge; first, the presence of life-building elements such as carbon, second, a liquid (such as water) in which they can mix, and third, a source of energy to power those reactions (in our case, the sun). After explicating this at some length, Finding goes on to present ongoing theories about how this could have happened on Earth (one of the more compelling being that some of the initial life-creating elements arrived via contact with the tail of a comet), and whether or not similar conditions could be present elsewhere (Mars, for instance).
Even for someone unversed in scientific theory, the content is fascinating, and very-well visualized (scenes from the surface of different planets is especially striking); so much so that the frequent interludes clearly inserted for commercial breaks are more irritating than they would otherwise be, to say nothing of the informational recaps. Had Finding Life Beyond Earth been condensed into something much shorter, it would have benefited for it. As is, it seems tailor-made to show schoolchildren on days when the regular teacher is out.
SPECIAL FEATURES
There are no bonus features.
"NOVA: Finding Life Beyond Earth" is on sale January 10, 2012 and is not rated. Documentary. Written and directed by Oliver Twinch.
