First and foremost, the blu-ray quality on both of these is amazing. These two blu-ray are probably some of the very best qualities you will ever find. Absolutely amazing. Secondly, David Attenborough version is by far my favorite, but please keep reading.Life
I own both the David Attenborough and Oprah edition of Life (I already had the David Attenborough edition when somebody bought me the Oprah edition just recently, but I kept them both). There are major differences in narrative quality, but all in all I think Oprah did a pretty good job. I try to stay optimistic and positive about everything, so needless to say, I was pleased.
If you like Oprah and her personality, then I think she brings a little something different to this documentary. David Attenborough, an actual naturalist, has been my favorite narrator since I was a kid so it will always be hard to beat his version of Life. That being said, I can't fairly deduct stars from this review on the sole basis that she did not stack up to David Attenborough expertise. These two Life's do not have identical dialogue. There were times I thought that Oprah's edition could have elaborated on certain scenes, but again, this is basing it off of the detailed paid by David Attenborough's edition. Some reviewers on other sites felt Oprah's edition seemed dumbed down, which to be fair to those reviewers, could come off that way. The narrative when lacking depth, does seem like it misses some true educational platforms.
I have seen a lot of criticism about Oprah's edition, and for true David Attenborough fans this may be warranted. On the other hand, I don't feel that Oprah's edition is bad at all. I think Oprah did really well. I truly believe that if she had narrated it first people would be less critical. It's just unfortunate for Oprah that she had to go toe to toe with one of the greats in the business (considering that this is David Attenborough sole expertise in the industry). In Oprah's defense I bet David Attenborough would not rank as high as Oprah in the afternoon talk show department lol.
Conclusion: If you are a true purist of David Attenborough or the art of detailed documentary then go with David Attenborough edition. If you like Oprah and narrative that is a little more westernized then go with Oprah. I'm not taking anything away from Oprah's edition or even saying her version isn't good. I'm just saying more than anything......it's geared towards a totally different audience. In someways I feel that maybe Oprah's edition might be more suitable for children (PARENT ALERT), while David Attenborough edition is more in depth and sometimes uses words that is not customary to a child's vocabulary (but that may be highly debatable for some).
Frozen Planet
This is David Attenborough version of Frozen Planet so as I've already pointed out, this is automatic gold. David Attenborough as usual brings a personality and expertise that is unmatched in nature documentaries. There is really no need to go into too much depth on this one, but just know that it's fantastic.
Overall this set is a great deal. I got my double feature pack (Life and Frozen Planet) as a gift from Best Buy for $19.99 (the gifter didn't remove the price tag). Amazon has it for $39. Either way it's a great price for almost 14 hours worth of film.
***Disclaimer****
If you buy this edition then know that it clearly says Oprah Winfrey on the cover. It really wouldn't be fair to buy this and then complain that it's not the David Attenborough edition. If you want his edition it is also sold on Amazon. Hope this helps somebody make a decision.
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