Our Great National Parks (2022) User Reviews

Best Nature Documentary (Series) Of The Past 5 Years

[pienpouwels · 9/10 · 15 April 2022]

As someone who can't concentrate on anything unless there's animal visuals on in the background, I have seen more than a hundred nature documentaries. The cinematography of Our Great National Parks is absolutely breathtaking, but that's the case for many other docs as well. What makes this one unique is that it zooms in on lesser known facts about animals, facts that even I --as a self-proclaimed connoisseur-- was flabbergasted by. On multiple occasions during each episode, the documentary tackled the animal protagonists from angles that I have never seen before. Plus, despite loving the big five, it's nice watching something that's not constantly about them, but about less common critters as well.

Sir David Attenborough is and will always remain the ultimate nature doc narrator but Barack Obama has made a solid impression and I'm eager for more.

I don't understand why Our Great National Parks has such a low rating but don't let it fool you. It's an absolute must watch. I've rated it 9 stars, the same rating I gave to Planet Earth I & II, Chasing Coral and Blue Planet I & II.

More about animals than parks

[Katz5 · 8/10 · 22 April 2022]

But still a nice watch, each episode offering stunning footage of animals in their natural habitats. President Obama narrating is a provocative choice (read some of the negative reviews here as proof) but he does have a voice made for narration. The only documentary you can imagine the Former Guy narrating is one on how to hunt and kill all of the creatures featured in this documentary for profit.

The documentary is rated TV: PG for "fear." Nature can be cruel, as evidenced in nearly every installment. Every installment also stresses the need to protect existing parkland on every continent (and yes, negative reviewers here; there are National Parks in other countries besides the U. S.) and mentions climate change. So in the end, the documentary is preaching to the choir, as a certain segment of the population will shut the program off at the very first mention of the term "climate change" and change the channel back to Fox Nation.

Ken Burns' extensive National Parks documentary series focused on U. S. National Parks so this shorter series is a nice complement. And broadcasting it during the month of Earth Day makes this a perfect viewing choice for those who truly care about the future of our planet.

Not hard to see people are still upset about Obama

[DN69 · 9/10 · 15 April 2022]

Ignore the Obama haters and check this series out if it piqued your interest. Some truly beautiful camera work and a score that matches quite well make this as entertaining as any nature and animal docu-series, short of Planet Earth. But come on, nothing in this genre touches that series.

For those who are not still clinging to their anger about Obama his narration is relaxing and informative. Absolutely worth a watch if you have an interest in the natural world!

Excellent documentary series. Absolutely breathtaking photography.

[jnykaza · 10/10 · 15 April 2022]

This having a 6.5 rating can ONLY be a political thing....this show is objectively EXCELLENT. If you love nature docs, you will love this...unless you can't get past the Obama thing I guess? No matter what you think about the man, Barrack Obama is very articulate and really has a great voice for this kind of thing. Now, to be clear, i watch nature documentaries for the scenery and the wonderful plants and animals. The voice is important to an extent, but I'm not focused on it. My score is based on the absolutely amazing footage! The lemurs jumping around in Madagascar was spectacular! Hippos in the Atlantic....penguins...crocodiles...all of it! Please do yourself a favor and either put your politics aside (watch it on mute if you must...it'll still be good) or ignore all the bad scores....this is really great stuff.

Beautiful, Relaxing & Informative

[walshm-86287 · 10/10 · 13 April 2022]

It's beautiful, relaxing & informative. What's not to like? Like many other well made nature documentaries, the patience and skill needed to capture these moments in nature is truly impressive. Obama does an excellent job narrating and any extra attention given to him doing a documentary focusing on the preservation of wild life habitats is a very good thing. I highly recommend.

Surfing Hippos, Deer Riding Macaques and More!

[jackdog1-1 · 10/10 · 16 April 2022]

Brilliant photography of the vast variety of ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them. Unique, never before see things like surfing hippos, Japanese macaques riding deer, and hornbills cooperating with mongooses for food and safety. It's such a shame that some reviewers are so blinded by hate and jingoism that they can't see the beauty in the national parks from all over the world.

Stunning photography, beautiful musical score

[ghawtho1-197-72788 · 10/10 · 18 April 2022]

If you are looking for something new to watch, I highly recommend Our Great National Parks, narrated by President Obama. The nature scenes are amazing the music is soaring and Obama's voice will calm and soothe your soul...I promise.

Great watch...

[Zen-Balance · 7/10 · 23 April 2022]

I immensely enjoy watching nature shows. I just wished the governments throughout the world would make it a priority to save and restore such vital habitats. Not to mention, void desert expansion. Isn't that what governments are for, governing society and environments?

Great Series, Great Narrator

[leftbanker-1 · 10/10 · 24 April 2022]

This is totally worth checking out. In fact, just leave it on your screen whenever you are in the room just to fill your life with some spectacular images.

Deceptive tutor

[ladydoodlebop · 6/10 · 16 April 2022]

Although I found Mr Obama's voice relaxing and calm, I felt a bit cheated because this show was less about the parks and more about the critters there in.

We've all seen the shows about all the critters so it would have been nice to see more of the parks themselves.

Still, it was enjoyable enough.

Beautiful

[thompsonpaul-89141 · 10/10 · 13 April 2022]

Very some animals that I have never seen. Don't know how the get such great shots. Just hope they make a lot of episodes.

The only problem is that they didn't show Australian map for national parks.. Oh that's right we don't exist.... Lol.

Great photography and less great narration

[toreaurstad-57248 · 7/10 · 17 April 2022]

The visuals are great, but the narration from Mr Obama and overall script seems a bit whimsical. We follow some animals and watch what they eat, before we follow some other species. It lacks an overview and listening to Obama read one sentence at a time per scene in a dozy manner is with his calm and soft voice more like a lullaby than listening to a biologist actually teach us something new. Netflix documentaries often are more about entertainment than enlightenment. But this series is well above average at many aspects still.

Good footage, meh narration

[teachjapan · 5/10 · 27 April 2022]

I generally like Obama as a person. This just doesn't work. David Attenborough sets the bar pretty high and he actually loves nature. This show just feels flat, lacking any passion or emotion for the topic. You can hear the creators, "Let's get Obama. His star power will make it good." It didn't.

Stunning & enlightening

[A-Ok_USA · 10/10 · 16 April 2022]

Beautiful National parks located around the world are featured in the series produced in part by the narrator, and former U. S. President, Barack Obama. For this reason alone there seems to be very low ratings, sadly. If we can get past the person and look deeper into the content, it's quite good.

In this thoroughly enjoyable docuseries, we are given insights into incredible creatures and previously unknown (to me) behaviors like hippos who travel the ocean's waves, pumas who live in social groups, and sea lions who follow humpback whales to locate bait balls. There are delightful scenes like the elephant seal super-weaner and the hornbill bird with his symbiotic dwarf mongoose buddies. There are tense moments like the one with a young monkey making its first giant 3 story leap - or the dominant male rhino going after the immature female. Absolutely devastating moments like the death of a baby whale, and tons of much sweeter moments of loving mommies and adorable babies.

It has a common theme of interconnectedness, and how each animal, plant, insect and even the water and air in individual ecosystem depend on the other to thrive. It goes on to expand to show how every ecosystem benefits the region, the world, and we humans as a whole. There's a hard lean on how much of our planet's environment is in peril. But the beauty of this series is that it doesn't just acknowledge that we cause great harm, it also demonstrates that we are also capable of making an enormous impact for good. These national parks & the initiatives of many surrounding governments and local communities, are the demonstrable proof that we have the power to bring our natural world back into alignment swiftly. If we act.

Outstanding series

[timewing-38941 · 10/10 · 17 April 2022]

This show has some of the most amazing photography I have ever seen. Just stunningly beautiful. How they got some of these close ups is incredible. It reminded me of the old Disney True-Life Adventure films we saw as children. That video at the time was magnificent but this film, with newer camera technology - is just amazing.

Obama, who as POTUS, protected more public land and waters than any other POTUS in history, does a beautiful job with the narration.

Amazing Nature Series

[brandonberry-57965 · 10/10 · 20 April 2022]

Never thought I would see a president narrate a nature series, but have to say, it was amazing! From the fantastic footage that's never been shown in a series like this before, to the powerful message that this sends, it will definitely be a classic.

Beautiful

[judithgrace · 9/10 · 18 April 2022]

Brilliant photography of rare species...things I've never seen or heard of before. The importance of the natural wonders and ecosystems of the different national parks is stressed, but not in an your face way. That narration is soothing, unhurried, and I must confess I've always enjoyed Mr. Obama's voice. Our whole family enjoyed this series.

Obama Narrates awful!

[feysbukberk · 6/10 · 24 April 2022]

I am a person who is in love with nature and animals, I love documentaris. That's why I forced myself to watch episodes. However, Obama's energy absorbing narration kept me away always.

A time to relax and learn

[eariabaghernejad · 10/10 · 17 April 2022]

What sets this documentary apart from the rest of the documentaries is that it is not boring. It goes to different places in each part, but it does not lose its cohesion and integrity.

You spend some relaxing moments watching it.

Wonderful images poor narration

[lionelperalta-72339 · 7/10 · 2 May 2022]

I loved this series it was filled with lots of new images and interesting facts.

The narrator (Barak Obama) was a little boring, I found myself falling asleep, so I had to watch one episode at a time. It's true it's more about the animals that live in the parks; but what else is there in the parks!

Politics aside...we could all do a better job with our planet.

Enjoyable docu

[fajarsantoso · 8/10 · 18 April 2022]

I really enjoyed thjs documentary about national parcs. Yes, there are hundreds of documentaries but seeing new, recent and HD-quality pictures of national parcs around tge world is a real pleasure, especially in today's tv-landscape.

For the narrating, I am not bothered that the person is a political figure but probably Republicans are and thus are bashing this docu and rated it below 5. For me, watching this docu is about earth, about nature and not about politics. For this reason, I enjoyed all episodes and rated it 8*.

Mr. Obama ruined the show

[gwilbanks-69072 · 1/10 · 23 April 2022]

I was hoping for a show about national parks their history and their future. The video was breathe taking at times but it was a show about animals within national parks not national parks themselves. And don't get me started on the horrible choose of narration. Mr. Obama & Netflix did a disservice to the wildlife videographers. It should have been called the Animals of our Great National Parks and narrated by a voice actor who doesn't bring so much political and social baggage to the project.

If you like blue planet...

[sideshow88 · 8/10 · 14 April 2022]

I actually really enjoyed this. If you like blue planet 2 then it's similarly produced and I quite enjoyed Obama's narration. Maybe, in time he could be a valid replacement to Attenborough. He isn't going to be around forever and if you like those series there will need to be someone to continue the work. As he also has very similar values regarding the planet and climate, I think he could be a great repcement.

A wonderful survey of our earth's best places

[fbainbridge-00656 · 10/10 · 16 April 2022]

This was thoroughly enjoyable. The lush landscapes, the amazing creatures, the excellent filming, and the calm narration makes a great package. Obama could become the next David Attenborough! I can't wait for more.

Excellent and unique

[nofarrohatyn · 10/10 · 20 April 2022]

Highly recommend, beautiful and unique scenes. I've watched many nature documentaries so far and this is one of my favorites. It gives you hope in humanity and that's what I love most about it.