How The Universe Works Blu-ray offers decent video and superb audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
How The Universe Works shows you how the cosmos is designed, built and how it actually works. From the beginning of time, stars, galaxies, planets, solar systems and more have been working individually and together to produce all that is and all that we see. See as never before the inner workings of our world, and explore black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, dark energy and all the titanic forces that make us who we are. With a dynamic cast of experts and a new generation of CGI, How the Universe Works looks under the celestial hood to reveal the inner workings of outer space: the story of how it's made and how it runs. This is your ultimate Cosmos Operator's Manual.
Space, the final frontier. Or perhaps, space, the subject of countless documentary series, all frantically dipping into the same intergalactic bag of tricks. It's not that How the Universe Works is bad. It isn't dull, silly or an out and out waste of time by any means. It's just that it's so ordinary. So much time is devoted to the basics that more intriguing topics and avenues are shortchanged or avoid altogether. So much time is spent pandering to the layman that even laymen will begin to wonder when each episode will catch up with them and blow their minds. Don't get me wrong, there are obscure little factoids aplenty, all delivered by an eager lineup of excitable scientists, passionate experts and earthbound explorers. Even the most well-versed cosmos enthusiasts will walk away having learned something. But How the Universe Works is best suited to teachers and parents looking for ways to further engage their junior and senior high schoolers, and seems to have been specifically designed with educators and students in mind. Most everyone else will be left wanting, particularly those who require something beyond flashy CG and rapidfire trivia tidbits to transport them beyond the stars.
The Discovery Channel series' eight episodes -- "Big Bang," "Black Holes," "Alien Galaxies," "Extreme Stars," "Extreme Planets," "Supernovas," "Alien Solar Systems" and "Alien Moons" -- are fairly self-explanitory, and rarely venture outside of their preset boundaries. Time, space, energy and matter are introduced and dissected in quick succession, hopping across the globe and the cosmos to unravel the origin of all things, the nature of everything we can see (and many things we can't), the scientific advances that have allowed man to probe the unreachable corners of the universe, and the theories that continue to evolve about how and why things exist, react and behave in the manner in which they do. And it all comes courtesy of a stream of spirited scientists and genial theoretical and astrophysicists (like the intensly likable Professor Michio Kaku) intent on understanding anything and everything their minds, instruments and equations are able to detect.
But entertainment often comes at the expense of meticulous science; incredible concepts often come caked in hyperbole; stirring visuals tend to overwhelm the imagination but blur the line between science-fiction and science-fact, if only a bit. There's never really a sense that How the Universe Works is a measured series, or even a semi-comprehensive look at the universe as it's known and understood. Each episode is a rock skimming along a vast, infinitely deep pond. Rather than take the time to plunge beneath the surface, though -- even a few feet -- the series is content with covering as much distance as possible before the credits roll. The result is a whirlwind tour of time and space, with cursory pitstops at only the most convenient hotspots and all too brief breaks along the side of the road. Again, if I were looking for a series to show a tenth grade physics class, I'd be more apt to give How the Universe Works a pass. Its pacing and presentation are primed for young minds, even if it's a bit too accessible. You have to wonder how challenging a documentary series really is when a seven-year-old can keep up with portions of several episodes... as my son did when he wandered in and out of the room. No, I'm not raising the next Einstein (at least not that I'm aware of), and no, he certainly couldn't follow everything. But aside from asking a myriad of questions, he never seemed all that lost either.
How the Universe Works isn't nearly as fascinating or engrossing as its experts, visuals or music suggest, and it merely examines the far reaches of space in very small part, never in anything remotely whole. It's hopscotch approach to the universe isn't satisfying or filling, and it doesn't require unwavering concentration to keep up. Quite the contrary. It pounds on the same factoid, again and again and again, until it moves on to the next, and hardly ever goes diving in deep waters. As documentary series go, this one amounts to the shallow end of the pool. If you're still wearing science-floatees when you go swimming, there's nothing to fear here. If, however, you can't resist the deep end, if the ocean calls to you, don't waste your time with this entry-level Discovery Channel series. It's fun and informative, at least to an extent, but unless you're a high school student or new to the ways in which the universe works, don't expect to learn much you didn't already know.
Discovery's 1080i/AVC-encoded video presentation is decidedly decent, despite falling prey to a number of anomalies. At-times distracting macroblocking, significant banding, minor aliasing, bursts of faint noise and other eyesores appear throughout each episode; some interview segments aren't as crisp or clean as others; and black levels are a bit inconsistent, ranging from muted to deep and well-resolved. Additional hiccups draw attention every now and then as well -- when archive footage or standard definition sources are used -- but these eyesores are inherited and relatively easy to overlook as a result. Otherwise, How the Universe Works fares well. Colors are vivid and bold, primaries boast welcome power, and detail is solid on the whole, be it captured on film or computer generated. In fact, when a random blip or compression mishap isn't making its presence known, the encode can be quite striking; so much so that some viewers will be far more forgiving of the presentation's issues than I am.
The real surprise is the series' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, an engaging, enveloping mix that's far more aggressive and immersive than I expected. Mike Rowe's narration and the voices of the various scientists and experts are clear, nicely centered and perfectly prioritized. LFE output, meanwhile, is weighty, assertive and arresting, lending heft and awe to the infinite volatility of the universe. The rear speakers play a crucial role as well, allowing time, space and the series' score to wrap around the listener and transport them across the cosmos. There aren't any neck-twisting directional effects to speak of, but the support the soundfield affords the music, ambience and atmosphere established is exactly what it should be, and then some. How the Universe Works may not always look the part, but its sonics don't disappoint.
How the Universe Works didn't engage me, suck me in or leave me reeling, all the things a documentary series that explores the farflung reaches of space should accomplish. If I were a teacher or the parent of a junior or senior high school student, I might see more value in its eight episodes, but that just isn't the case. At its best, it's entertaining and informative. At its worst, it spends too much time covering much too familiar ground. The Discovery Channel's Blu-ray release is better, if only because its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track makes the experience more worthwhile. Its problematic encode could use some work and it doesn't offer a single extra, but at such a low pricepoint, it deserves some consideration.
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