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Parents' Guide to

A Beautiful Planet

By Yvonne Condes, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Stunning look at Earth -- and man's sobering impact on it.

Movie G 2016 45 minutes
A Beautiful Planet Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

Not REALLY appropriate for younger kids

Commonsensemedia gives this a 6+ rating. Perhaps that's fine. It's funny, I don't mind my 5 and 7 year old kids being exposed to minor fictional violence but I hesitate to show this to my kids because it shows on a pretty massive scale the harm humans have and are doing to the planet. I don't want my kids exposed to this kind of a downer at this age. I'm thinking I'll hold this off until they are 10. I wish the movie would have been limited to an exploration of the space station and views of earth (as I had expected), but the 2nd half is a full on preachy movie about environmental destruction of the planet. Beautifully made and certainly appropriate for teens and adults. But not so much for little kids unless you don't mind exposing them to the sadder facts of life at this young age.
3 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This incredible documentary features breathtaking views of Earth from the International Space Station. The astronauts spent their free time filming it, and what they captured is astonishing -- from the nighttime lights of Paris to the sparkling turquoise ocean of the Caribbean during the day. And it's not just that the images are beautiful and never-before-seen; Lawrence's vioce-over gives context to what we're seeing: a world that's changing at the hands of humanity. Dead forests, dry rivers, and melting glaciers are startling to see, and viewers are told how it could get worse. One of the most poignant contrasts is the difference between North and South Korea at night. South Korea is lit up and vibrant, while across the border the land is covered in darkness.

But it's not all dire. There are also stories of how the damage from climate change has been reversed, and the film encourages people to care more about the planet. We also get a real idea of what it's like to live on a space station. Italian astronaut Samantha Crisoforetti and the rest of the crew answer questions we all have about how astronauts eat, bathe, exercise, and sleep (Crisoforetti sleeps floating, not strapped to the wall) in space. We watch as an astronaut struggles to get into his space suit, then goes outside for maintenance, with only a cord keeping him attached. There's a lot to learn about and be fascinated by for both kids and parents in A Beautiful Planet.

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