Review: Netflix documentary 'Our universe'

Not the best nature film... not the best documentary about the universe... but the combination of the two plus Morgan Freeman's voice makes 'Our Universe' sublime.

Nature documentary

To be honest, I have skipped many nature documentaries in recent years. I was irritated by the many activist and alarmist messages interwoven like 'global warming', for example. Every time, you sit and watch beautiful images of the beautiful harmony in nature, followed by a swan song where we 'as humans' would destroy nature completely within a short time, except if we deposit money somewhere or approve a certain political agenda. So you are always left with a sense of guilt and shame that the Arctic would be ice-free and all coral reefs wiped out within a few years. "How dare you? You should be ashamed of yourself".

So I needed a documentary that really zooms out and gives the sense that the world does not revolve around humans, but that we are just a minuscule link in something much bigger. And this month, I was at my beck and call. I was assigned a Netflix suggestion to my algorithm called 'Our Universe'. The subjects and the divine voice of 'Tomorrow Freeman' made me curious and I pressed play. And in retrospect, I am very glad I did.

Our Universe

In 'Our Universe', one constantly switches from life on Earth to the development of the universe. When you talk about a zoom function, it couldn't be more extreme than this. It allows us to zoom in from galaxies to the smallest particles and units that make our lives possible. We are also constantly stepping into a time machine that can go back to the presumed birth of the universe 13.6 billion years ago. Explaining how unique our Earth is and how phenomenal it is that conditions, matter and time came together precisely to make life on Earth possible. The bigger the galaxy, the less coincidental it becomes that life can arise anywhere. It reminds me of Jeff Wayne's song 'Eve of the War'. "The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one... But still they come!"

The documentary consists of six episodes: Chasing Starlight. ; The Cosmic Clock. ; Turning Seasons; Elemental; Water World. ; Force of attraction.

The leads

Starring in the nature section are a hungry cheetah, a pregnant chimpanzee, an Alaskan brown bear from hibernation to salmon foodfest, a green sea turtle, an elephant herd and king penguins. In an understandable way, each natural phenomenon is explained how its origin can be traced back to the universe. Attention is paid to stardust and the creation of atoms, nuclear fusion and energy, light and photons, rhythms and orbits of stars and planets, the importance of gravity and the indispensable arrival of water on our planet. The message here is: 'Everything is connected and every link is indispensable for life'. And all this is composed of the most stunning images and animations.

Not everyone as lyrical as me

Looking at reviews from reviewers, not everyone is as lyrical as me about 'Our Universe'. Ordinary viewers, however, react more positively. Now I also realise that reviewers often have a pissing contest with each other and are more negative than necessary. Ideally, I think they would prefer to be directors themselves, but failed or something.

They say there are better nature films and better documentaries about the universe that go a lot deeper. In addition, they feel that some things are very firmly put while the truth is still being established, which I can agree with a bit. Also, not everyone likes the fact that they switch so quickly and often between images of the universe and nature on earth. I personally find that fast switching is the greatest strength of 'Our Universe'. This docu touched me personally enormously because of this, as it made my perspective on the natural balance and life more complete by precisely looking back into the origins from the universe.

Admiration for the great system

There are all kinds of feelings that went through me during and after watching 'Our Universe' and still do. For instance, I feel even more admiration for 'the big system' and this makes me better able to put into perspective all kinds of things that seem big in my life and humanity as a whole. In fact, this makes me more at peace with the topic of mortality, which is quite difficult for me to accept at times.

I realise that this docu will definitely not go down well with many religionists. On the contrary, it gives me a kind of inner peace that I can believe in a great power and system that feels right to me. In fact, I also think that by doing so, I also adhere to a kind of nature religion. In part, this also translates into the logic of nature in my view on nutrition and lifestyle.

I therefore hope that many more episodes will be made. In doing so, I would love to see the link between gut flora, genes, the immune system, the nervous system and hormones want to see with the universe.

Enjoy watching 'Our Universe'. Curious about your opinion....

Ralph Moorman