At a time when so much noise, unfortunately, is raised by those who deny climate change, so much so that those with any sense can barely hear each other, making a documentary on climate change may seem a banal task. Yet at no other time has the need for such works been so necessary.
And Sony BBC Earth's 'Blue Planet 2', in this regard, is something we should all be thankful for.
The documentary is an anthology of various instances of how various sea creatures survive in the deep. Climate change has brought about drastic changes in the life of these creatures, and coping is hard.
'BP2' is more striking for its narrative force than its originality.
From brutal (fish that spring into air to feed on birds) to surreal (female fish that turn male to question its former partner's territorial dominance) to human (dolphins urging its young to take what seems to be anti-infection scrubs) to pathos (mother walruses looking for ice slabs to put their young to rest at a time of melting polar ice), the move is smooth and without a bump.
Narrator David Attenborough adds a touch of humour to it all.
'BP2' is a bit more liberal on cinematic tools than your average documentary. Montage, slow motion, fast to-and-fro shifts between shots of the predator and prey, aided by Hans Zimmer's excellent score, is stuff usually associated with fictional works, but the editorial command is consummate and you'll find yourself just as tense as the filmmakers want you to be.
While not every detail that 'BP2' covers is unprecedented, and its anthology form may mean fewer insights, this sacrifice seems to be a necessary evil. This makes it more compelling than its specialised cousins.