By Christopher Disher

If you want to pay to watch a film that you've already seen on your HD television, give Earth a try. It's an abridged version of the BBC/Discovery Channel series "Planet Earth" with James Earl Jones bellowing languid narration for an hour and a half.

The film is exactly what one would expect -- loosely stringed together vignettes about animals. Arguably, people don't find that compelling. Only when an animal is personified -- say in The Lion King, for example -- can an audience identify with its characters. March of the Penguins was able to do this by giving us an intimate look at the struggle of a family of penguins. Earth, however, spreads itself thin and never pauses to consider the majesty of the very events we feel privileged to witness.

The narration is the film's greatest failing. To be a documentary about our home planet, interesting facts about the natural order are surprisingly absent. When a documentary doesn't educate, it lacks any significant purpose. What results are picture book images glorified with an overbearing soundtrack. If you want to experience our planet in some divine or inspiring way, pay attention in science class or go hiking.