g_la_hunt

Most of the negative reviews here are from folks who hate reading subtitles and need a fight scene every two minutes to stay interested. This is a fantastic story about family. The authentic inclusion of both deaf and indigenous characters was fascinating. But the collaboration with the Choctaw Nation to represent their creation story as well as other indigenous storytelling is what really makes this show shine. It's not a typical MCU superhero story. It's not supposed to be. Enjoy it for what it is: a journey of a woman reconnecting with her family and with her culture. Those stories are worth telling, too!

This is the second time I've watched a documentary bearing the name "National Geographic" on Disney+ and been horrified at the sheer lack of any scientific substance contained within. What happened to National Geographic??? Aside from the awful host (J. Silva) who is obviously overacting and trying desperately to sound exciting, this show gives zero scientific information or insight. I could barely finish the first episode about fire, and I cannot bring myself to watch any more. Interesting topics are briefly mentioned, but not explored at all, such as, how does cooked food differ from raw food, and how exactly did that innovation help humans "build better brains"? How was gunpowder used in religious ceremonies to try to attain eternal life? How might early man have discovered metals and how to refine them? Instead, the audience is forced to endure repetitive flashy exhortations about how fire TRANSFORMED human life and long, boring re-enactments of completely unimportant and unnecessary things. And so many statements were just flat-out wrong. By using fire, humans "harnessed the power of the sun"?? Unless you're holding a magnifying glass on a sunny day, the sun has nothing to do with your ability to start a fire. Women stayed home to cook while men went out to hunt?? You can't throw that statement out there as fact without providing any sort of archaeological or anthropological evidence to support it! None of the ideas presented are organized in any sort of logical way. I felt like I was watching a show written by a seven-year-old for seven-year-olds. Just terrible.

I really expected better from National Geographic. I watched all of the episodes, hoping it would get better, but it did not. It tries too hard to be dramatic, throwing in unnecessary suspenseful music and over-the-top narration. The subject matter is interesting enough-it does not need that kind of fakey embellishment! Unfortunately, it rarely has time to actually explore the archaeological findings and discuss how they fit into the historical context of the Mayan civilization. Most of the time is spent on repeating fake dramatic teasers (mainly in a vain attempt to keep viewers hooked around commercials-a technique that backfires spectacularly when viewers are streaming without commercials), excessive use of phrases like "now for the very first time!!!", and repetitive glorification of LIDAR technology and how none of the discoveries would ever have been found without it. It's more like a commercial than a documentary. If you're looking for substance, you'll have to look elsewhere. If you like vapid repetitions of "ever!", "incredible!", "new!", "never before!", and "exciting!", set to dramatic music, then this show is for you.