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Big History
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (5th March 2014). |
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The Show
 “We think of history as a timeline, a series of events stretching a few thousand years into the past. It's time to think bigger. Instead of a line, imagine a web of infinite connections interacting over billions of years, linked together to create everything we've ever known. Our universe. Our planet. And us. When we consider our most epic moments through the lens of science we unleash a revolutionary new idea. The movement of atoms steer the movements of men, civilizations, galaxies. History as we know it is about to get big.” I was a pretty lame highschooler. I suppose I still am pretty lame. Unlike most of my fellow students––spurred on by one of the best educators to ever cross my path, an English teacher of all things, who handed me copies of Howard Zinn's “A People’s History of the United States” and James Loewen’s “Lies My Teacher Told Me” one day in 10th grade, and told me to read them––I had a disproportionate love of history. And, again, I suppose that’s still true. I’m also a firm believer that history isn’t nearly as boring as some people will often claim; it’s just taught incorrectly in most scholarly settings. Our collective past is fascinating, and it can tell you more about the human experience than perhaps any other discipline; so many other areas of academia (social sciences like sociology and anthropology among them) look backward for answers and in turn become interwoven as time moves forward, until emerging ideas become a part of it themselves. There had been an unspoken collaboration between many academic disciplines long before David Christian's “big” concept of history––which seeks to find understanding by contextualizing our place in the universe through the supposed interconnectedness everything, including nearly every aspect of academia, from the social sciences to the, um… real ones––ever came about. Christian's concept is not new. In fact, the author and historian has been at the game for 20 years himself; and before his “Big History” manifested in print, it existed, in less concrete forms without an actual name, long before that. But Christian's concept is becoming a popular perspective, in large part because software billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has thrown his weight behind the “Big History Project”, an initiative which seeks to get the idea of interconnected fields into educational institutions of all types. "Big History's" ideas are intellectually appealing and at the same time just a little perplexing (it’s logic makes leaps and bounds not wholly sound, at least as hastily explained in the televised miniseries version), not to mention is impossibly daunting to devour in one sitting. In that way, although it's decidedly more academic (and fact-rather-than-faith based), I assume some will approach it as others do organized religion: with a healthy dose of skepticism. And to be skeptical of “Big History” is totally understandable. That is to say, the miniseries (and the tenants on which the entire premise of “big history” is founded) portends to provide answers to unknowable questions––albeit through considerably more solid means than pure belief. It is a siren call of anti intelligent design theory, set out to explain existence through cause-and-effect, if not, sometimes, also coincidence and chance. (It also violates the accepted axiom "correlation does not imply causation" numerous times in doing so, but I digress…) “Big History” goes back 13.7 billion years, and looks at everything (the salient points anyhow) from that moment when everything came to be through to the current day, in an attempt to piece together a narrative that tells the story of how “we”––humanity––arrived at the here and now. It even indulges a bit to pontificate on the possibilities of where we’re going as a collective culture in the future. It’s ostensibly headier than many other offerings on History Channel and other “educational” Cable broadcasters of the same vein (at the very least, it’s a smarter and more serious series than junk like “Swamp People” (2010-Present), has more sound science and history backing it than the silly borderline science-fiction series “Ancient Aliens” (2009-Present), and its flights of future-predicting fancy are not nearly as pervasive as something like “Life After People” (2009-Present)), but ultimately the 17-part miniseries presents little more than some very, very compelling ideas wrapped in the trappings of mediocre production values and the follies of commercial-fed cable programming (those pre-commercial break cliffhangers and post-interruptus recaps are astoundingly grafting on home video, without the 3 minutes of advertising in between). The separate episodes of “Big History” run the gamut, from the elemental building blocks of life (the very first episode links salt to mass transit through a kind of convoluted and roundabout but ultimately sound way: salt traders built the first roads) to outer-worldy exploits to the edge of our known universe and maybe beyond. Along the way, cornerstones and less known concepts and events are compounded to construct what what amounts to a fragile house of cards that’s one boldly exhaled breath away from toppling over, barely held up under weight of convoluted comments that sound as though they contradict themselves. As separate entity’s, the individual episodes range from decent to disappointing, supported either by concrete facts passed over quickly or outright quackery that gets too much screen time in comparison. Barely longer than 20 minutes, each of the 16 standalone episodes simply do not have the time required to suitably tackle complex subjects made vastly more complicated through the “interconnectedness of everything” conceit that is the basic building block of big history. Worse yet, the “interconnectedness” angle often leads commentators to ramble, rant, and repeat in their quest to, in the words of Christian himself, take simple things and make epic connections. The 16 separate, tangential and ambling episodes are brought together in some sense of calm cohesion in a final 90-minute conclusion, in which many of the interrelated ideas earlier explored in its own 20 minute segment is then re-introduced, reexamined to form and shape the “big” picture. The ideas are interesting, but with so much glossed over in rapid fire rat-tat delivery that makes digestion almost impossible, much of the time, the series seems like people making mountains out of molehills, and just a little looney. And yet, there’s something to “Big History”, something immensely and immediately appealing on an intellectual level, perhaps not in terms of the overall presentation and execution of this series––which leaves a lot to be desired––but in a larger sense. And it does one thing very well: prove that, no, history is not the bland and boring thing you might think it to be. All 17 episodes of “Big History" are included on three discs. Discs one and two hold 7 episodes each; disc three houses episodes 15, 16 and 17. The first 16 episodes run approximately 23 minutes each. The finale is a whopping 88 minute feature. Episode are: – "The Superpower of Salt"––Big History reveals how salt underpins our civilization, launched wars, built monuments like the Great Wall of China, sparked revolutions from India to France...and that it's even the substance that makes up our thoughts. – "Horse Power Revolution"––The horse has been a revolutionary animal in unexpected ways. It has changed how we speak, what we wear, and sets the hidden limit for the size of our most massive empires. It's a story that spans the cosmos, from the Big Bang, to the Sun, to a changing planet that turned the horse into man's best friend in the animal kingdom. – "Gold Fever”––This episode asks why mankind is gold crazy, discovers there's a hard-wired reason we lust after it, a microscopic explanation for why it shines, and how humanities favorite metal drove men across oceans and continents to war-waging ends. – “Below Zero”––Reveals how cold has the power to turn men into Barbarians, spark history's longest running war, and create the concept of race. – “Megastructures”––From the Great Pyramid at Giza to the towering skyscrapers of today, humans have engineered massive constructions for at least 5,000 years. But why? How do biology and human emotions affect our desire to build gigantic structures? Why were the earliest mega-structures almost always pyramids? Why do people have the urge to build tall, and how do mega-structures on earth echo a basic principle embedded in the very structure of the universe? – “Defying Gravity"––Flight takes more than wings. We need the right kind of air, the perfect materials cooked up over billions of years, and cosmic forces that are just right for us to leave the ground without tumbling off into space. Big History reveals how planet Earth is the perfect planet for flight. – “World of Weapons”––Warfare has defined traditional history, but Big History digs deeper to reveal how it all began, linking the gun all the way back to a change in our bodies that turned us into throwing machines. – “Brain Boost”––Behind that cup of coffee or tea is a global story that goes back to the collision that created the Moon and the evolution of plant and animal life. The key is the molecule that gives your morning cup its kick: caffeine, the most popular drug in history. This is the story of how a plant poison became our drug of choice, and stimulated revolutions around the planet. – "Mountain Machines”––This episode looks at how mountains form natural boundaries, dictate how we spread around the planet, create natural defences, and control our weather. From the World War that began with a gunshot in the Balkans to the famous feuds in the Appalachians, mountains have also been flash points for violence, provided minerals and metals that make civilization possible, and the water that sustains the life of billions. – "Pocket Time Machine”––How does the cellphone in your pocket link to the Big Bang, the evolution of human memory, and even the Titanic disaster? Big History reveals how cosmic forces conspired to give us the tool that has revolutionized the planet. From the dial pad to the way we write phone numbers, there's a hidden science behind the cellphone. – “Deadly Meteors”––Impacts from space have created our planet and just about everything in it. Like celestial supply ships, they brought in water, metal, and maybe even life. They made our moon and sculpted the geography of our planet, but just as they created everything we know, they will likely snuff it all out in a fiery burst of destruction. – “Decoded”––Secret codes run the world. The code of life, DNA, is the operating system for all organisms, which spawned intelligent life like us who eventually created codes of our own: language that allows us to talk, and the alphabet that lets us write. We've even created an entire digital universe built of binary code that powers the machinery of the modern age. But is it possible that the universe itself runs on code? – "Rise of the Carnivores"––Eating meat made us human... by giving us bigger brains, better tools, and spoken language. The human need for beef has driven history across the hemispheres, but how did we turn an ancient mega-beast into the cow we have today? Big History traces all the beef on earth back to a single prehistoric herd. – "The Sun"––The Sun is our master and creator. It gives us our perception of time, controls our reality, and powers our lives. Big History sheds new light on our nearest star, revealing that ancient sun worship intersects with science, that our bodies are fine-tuned to the 24-hour day, and history is driven in unseen ways by the simple way we circle our star. – "Silver Supernova"––At critical moments in history, our second place metal was the most important metal on Earth. Big History reveals how silver's place in our minds was determined by the heat of exploding stars, and how this one metal saved democracy, gave us the dollar, and had a secret power to connect the world. – "H2O"––Water is the miracle molecule, and mankind has used its perfect properties to revolutionize our lives. It was our first superhighway, the lifeblood of civilization, and gives us 90% of all the power we use today. This episode reveals how the science behind water is the driving force behind history. – "The Big History of Everything"––A two-hour special that caps off the 16-episodes off "Big History", the program illustrates the eight major "thresholds" or turning points that have made our universe and life on our planet possible.
Video
"Big History” comes framed at 1.78:1 widescreen in 1080p 24/fps high definition using the AVC MPEG-4 compression codec. Although I have little doubt that this is probably a noticeable upgrade over the initial cable broadcast, the Blu-ray release of this History Channel series can be a frustrating viewing experience. The presentation is plagued by inconsistencies and a number of unfortunate anomalies. Stock footage––sometimes up-converted from standard definition sources––runs rampant with artifacts, interlacing errors, color fringing, and minor print damage. The frequent CGI flyovers, maps, backdrops, and inserts are fraught with instances of aliasing and banding. Even the modern-day talking head interviews shot on HD video are slightly underwhelming, showcasing only marginal detail and traces of haloing. On the one hand, documentaries probably shouldn't be held to the same standards as other types of content on Blu-ray, as many of the perceived errors are likely inherited from the various source materials cobbled together to make the whole. Still, the uneven elements combine to form a very distracting presentation, especially when problematic portions are juxtaposed decidedly decent-looking moments. The good news is Lionsgate’s compression appears competent and hasn’t introduced any other serious issues beyond what was already imbedded in the frequently flawed source.
Audio
Each episode of “Big History” includes an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tack (48kHz/24-bit) and optional subtitles available in English and Spanish. Like many a documentary (TV series or otherwise) “Big History’s” lossless soundtrack is anchored by forceful narration, in this case delivered by the powerful presence that is Bryan Cranston. Talking head interviews also feature clear and concise speech. Surrounds have some activity, usually artificial atmospherics in the form of bubbling brooks whence life sprang to the chilly whirlwinds blown across the steppes of Russia that killed Napoléon’s troops. The series the musical score relies heavily on pounding percussion, rounding out the modest mix just a hint of deeper low-end bass.
Extras
Supplements include 10 featurettes, essentially deleted scenes, relegated to the third disc in the set. The first platter also has a couple of bonus trailers and previews for other History Channel and A+E productions. Lionsgate has also authored each disc with optional bookmarks and the resume playback function. DISC ONE: Pre-menu bonus trailers are for: – "Houdini" (2.40:1, 1080p; 1 minute 3 seconds). – "Ancient Aliens" promo (1.78:1, 480i; 1 minute 2 seconds). – “Duck Dynasty” on DVD and Blu-ray (1.78:1, 1080i; 1 minute 3 seconds). – "The Men Who Built America" on DVD and Blu-ray (1.78:1, 1080p; 1 minute 3 seconds). DISC TWO: There are no extras on this disc. DISC THREE: The bulk for “Big History’s” bonus material can be found on the third disc, under a submenu titled “Featurettes” (1.78:1, 1080p; 30 minutes 3 seconds, play all). The 10 featurettes––which can be played separately or in one piece––is basically a hodgepodge of unaired material, discussing the general idea behind the series, and what the big history concept as a whole is, to finer points, like whether or not alien life on other planets is possible. interviewees also share less essential thoughts, like what their favorite moment from big history is. The 10 featurettes have the following titles: – "Big History" – “Are we Alone?” – “Common Man" – "Complexity" – "Connections" – “Global History" – "Mysteries" – "Questions" – "Thresholds" An UltraViolet digital copy of the entire series has also been included.
Packaging
Lionsgate Home Entertainment and A+E Networks bring all 17 episodes of the H2 miniseries “Big History” to Blu-ray in a 3-disc collection. The trio of dual layer BD-50s are housed in an Elite keep case; the discs are mounted on a flip spindle. First pressings include a cardboard slip-cover.
Overall
The Blu-ray release of “Big History” features a video transfer that is faithful to a fault (reliant on a variety of flawed sources and occasionally up-converted from standard definition) and an effective and forceful if rarely impressive lossless audio track. Extras include around 30 minutes of material split between 10 featurettes. The set is definitely worth a look for the curious kind of mind; although the execution of the actual series leaves a lot to be desired, the ideas are interesting and deserve further investigation. Here’s hoping the upcoming, similar-themed “Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey” (2014) reboot, with Neil deGrasse Tyson, will fare better in that regard.
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