Mankind: The Story of All of Us

"The people who made the world are the people who were the risk-takers, the people who didn't play it safe, the people who can see opportunity where others see only risk."

release year: 2012
genre: documentary
viewing setting: home DVD, 9/8/13 - 9/16/13

synopsis: This 9-hour documentary chronicles all of the major achievements, innovations, and hurdles in the history of our species.

impressions: Like all documentaries from the History Channel (and the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel...) this one was well-made, thorough, and entertaining. There are twelve episodes, each at 45 minutes, and they cover a lot, though not everything. There are plenty of dramatic re-creations and CGI effects. This is the sort of documentary that seldom if ever gets dull.

acting: n/a but there are plenty of dramatic re-creations of historical events, plus interviews with a couple dozen professors, historians, etc. Josh Brolin does a great job as the narrator.

final word: Just about the best possible job of cramming mankind's history into a 9-hour nutshell; well worth seeing.

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