Film
Planetary
- Slow-burning
A visually ravishing documentary that orbits Earth from every angle—literally and philosophically. Planetary stitches together stunning cinematography with voices ranging from astronauts to monks, building toward a single idea: that seeing ourselves as part of an interconnected whole is the only sane path forward. It's meditative without being slow, ambitious without preaching.
If you liked this
Our Planet2019
David Attenborough guides you through ecosystems in crisis with the same visual grandeur as Planetary, but grounded in specific science. Urgent and gorgeous in equal measure, showing exactly what we stand to lose.
But Relentlessly bleak in places. If you're already climate-anxious, the accumulation of suffering can feel punishing rather than motivating.
My Octopus Teacher2020
A filmmaker forms an unlikely bond with an octopus in a South African kelp forest, discovering profound lessons about patience, attention, and kinship with nature. Intimate where Planetary is panoramic, but shares its sense of wonder.
But The personal story might feel slight if you're expecting hard environmental data. It's philosophical rather than instructive.
Before the Flood2016
Leonardo DiCaprio travels the globe investigating climate change with urgency and genuine curiosity. Structured like a personal quest rather than a lecture, it keeps momentum where Planetary invites stillness.
But DiCaprio's fame and wealth create an ironic distance from the problems he's documenting. Some moments feel more like activism than inquiry.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Planetary
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Fountain2006
Both use the vastness of space and geological time not to belittle human life but to deepen it. Both are about perspective as salvation.
Darren Aronofsky's visual epic about love, mortality, and eternity across three timelines and cosmological scales. Like Planetary, it uses images of space and Earth to reframe human meaning. Hypnotic score by Clint Mansell.
But Deliberately cryptic and non-linear. If you want clarity or plot, this will frustrate you. It rewards surrender, not explanation.
More like this (6)
Cosmos1980
Neil deGrasse Tyson offers the cosmological context that Planetary implies: our place in the universe. Scales from subatomic to galactic, building the same sense of humble interconnection.
But Thirteen episodes is a larger commitment than Planetary's 88 minutes. The tone can drift toward pop-science cheerfulness when gravity might suit better.
Planet Earth II2016
Attenborough again, but this time emphasizing how human activity reshapes every biome on Earth. The cinematography rivals Planetary; the environmental angle is more pointed.
But Part nature documentary, part environmental sermon. If you want pure wonder without the implicit guilt, this leans harder into the guilt.
Chasing Ice2012
Photographer James Balog documents glaciers vanishing in real time, combining time-lapse beauty with inarguable evidence. The visuals are hypnotic; the data is undeniable.
But The repetition—glacier after glacier disappearing—can numb rather than move you. It's powerful but punishing.
Samsara2011
Nearly wordless visual essay on human ritual, nature, and industry across cultures. Same meditative pacing as Planetary, same sense that seeing transforms understanding. Pure cinema.
But No interviews, no argument, no throughline. If you need narration or structure to stay engaged, this demands active patience.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet2020
David Attenborough's reflection on a lifetime of documenting nature, looking back and forward. Combines wonder with honest reckoning; feels like a conversation with someone wise.
But Framed partly as Attenborough's personal valediction, which is lovely but sometimes edges into melancholy rather than mobilizing hope.
Waking Life2001
Both trust that talking to thoughtful people about big ideas—our place in the cosmos, what connects us—is a legitimate form of cinema. Both are about awakening.
Richard Linklater's rotoscoped film is mostly conversation—philosophy, consciousness, interconnection, the nature of reality. Planetary condensed into a dream; all the big questions, almost no plot.
But Heavily talky and abstract. The animation, while innovative, can look dated. If you want evidence and data, this is pure speculation and wonder.
People
Directing
- Guy ReidDirector
- Simon RieberDirector
Writing
- Steve Watts KennedyWriter