Product Description

THE HISTORY CHANNEL and Academy Award-winning special effects studio Industrial Light and Magic (Star Wars Harry Potter) join forces to imagine the state of planet Earth years after humans disappear. Stunning visual effects show how the environment will change as dams overflow buildings crumble and fires engulf once-mighty cities. Domestic animal life will die out and new species will claim their territory. Books and photographs will be reduced to faded scraps while other signs of our existence may remain for eternity standing as the tombstones of human civilization.Through striking movie-quality special effects coupled with interviews with experts in the fields of engineering botany ecology biology geology climatology and archeology LIFE AFTER PEOPLE sheds light on the state of the world days weeks and years after humans cease to exist.System Requirements:Running Time: 94 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 733961110906 Manufacturer No: AAAE110900

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2122 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2008-03-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.com
The very notion is deliciously ghoulish: What happens to earth if--or when--people suddenly vanished? The History Channel presents a dramatic, fascinating what-if scenario, part science fiction and part true natural science. "Welcome to Earth, Population: 0" is the catchy tagline, Life After People's 94 minutes are so gripping you nearly forget while you watch that you, yourself, will be gone too. It turns out that earth can go along very nicely without us. The hardest part of the special is probably in the first 15 minutes, when pet owners confront what likely will happen to their dogs (thankfully, the show follows those dogs who break out of their houses, and the prognosis for them to survive as scavengers is good). As the fictional days and weeks tick by, the process of nature's reclaiming the planet becomes less grim and more fascinating. The impact of the lack of people will be noticed right away, as most power grids shut down around the planet. The one holdout: Hoover Dam, whose hydro power lights up the American Southwest. Scientists say the dam can continue to operate on its own for months, maybe years, keeping the Vegas Strip alight. Only the eventual accumulation of quagga mussels, an invasive species, in the cooling pipes of the power plant--currently being cleaned by humans--will shut down the dam. Elsewhere, critters and plants will have their run of Manhattan and every other previously "civilized" spot. Inventive photography shows bears clambering out of subway stations, and vines pulling down brownstones, then skyscrapers. It may not be a surprise when the Eiffel Tower and Space Needle meet their eventual fates, but the scenes nonetheless provide a pleasant sting of shock. Life After People is humbling, yet exhilarating. -- A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews

4.5 stars: Very good with minor flaws
This program explores the likely outcome of a sudden disappearance of all humans from the Earth. How or why this would happen is not covered: the subject of this DVD is the succession of events following such a disappearance, as things arranged and constructed by humans fail over time (out to 100,000 years after said disappearance).

Pros:
- The show is very dramatic and maintains interest.
- Graphical effects demonstrate likely outcomes, including spectacular sequences of large-scale collapses.
- Experts showcased on the show seem authoritative and provide relevant insight.


Cons (these are all minor, in my opinion):
- At times, this program seems a little too dramatic. The narration sometimes comes from the perspective that nature is hostile, and surprise is expressed at the notion that "the planet and life on it would go on without us".
- One of the featured experts was a little too philosophical. Though I liked hearing most of what he had to say, he was given too much air time.
- Given the extremely low cost of computer-generated special effects today, visual quality should have been better.

This is not a "con", but I suspect that the general timeline of events following human departure is somewhat accelerated.

In short, this production poses a very interesting hypothetical question, explores the likely answer with experts and presents the whole package very well.
Flaws are relatively small.

If one is interested in this subject, note that a similar program has been developed, "National Geographic: Aftermath - Population Zero" (2008).

Life After People
I enjoyed this video very much. It helps put in perspective how insignificant humankind's contributions to the global ecosystem really are. It appears that even with all of our "detrimental" impact on the world's atmosphere, the planet will find a way to continue on without us. It gives creedence to both Psalm 78:69 and to George Carlin (who says the planet is just fine). People will go away and within five years nature will be taking over what we created.

I also couldn't help but think of the contribution of my own profession, building operational maintenance. Senior management always wants to defer maintenance. Well here is a classic case of what can happen if maintenance is pushed back too far. Things fall apart, duh.

Anyway, this was an entertaining video with some good graphics and some interesting hypotheses. If feral cats want to occupy former high rises, then learn how to glide (flying cats ala flying squirrels) that seems plausible. Since we have a real life abandoned city in the Ukraine to show how nature can reclaim cities, some of what was shown is not merely specualtion and guessing.

very good but national geographic film is better
Very good, but not as thorough as the National Geographic version - Aftermath: Population Zero. For those who are detail-oriented, you're better off with the National Geographic one.