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Cosmos

 
 
 
Underseer

Underseer

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Has anyone been following this?

I have to say that overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I just finished watching my recording of the 3rd episode, and well, it's not surprising that Tyson made a Newton-centric episode. If you've ever seen a lot of interviews and speeches, the man cannot stop talking about Newton. ^.^
 
I watched half of the much-hyped debut and was disappointed. Watched the Newton one all the way through, to be fair.
I'm still not a fan, but can see where it's appropriate to the modern audience, especially children. Nice special effects, really nice space pictures. The narration is clear and informative.
I don't care for the cartoons: they make history look and feel fictional. I think that device trivializes the subject matter.
Overall: it looks pretty but lacks .... wonder? soul? excitement?... something.
(Not just because of Sagan. I've seen Tyson on the Daily Show a couple of times and he had an engaging presence there. Here, it doesn't come through the slick surface.)
 
I don't mind the cartoons. They're probably cheaper than doing that stuff in live action.
 
I've enjoyed the first two episodes, and I'm looking forward to watching the third later tonight.

True, it is a bit "Science 101"-y, and I haven't learned much that's new to me, but I've enjoyed it as entertainment. Unlike Petrel, I find NDT very engaging; what shines through for me is his deep love of/fascination with the subject.

I have never seen the original Carl Sagan version, so I dn't have that to compare with.
 
Underseer said:
Has anyone been following this?
Click to expand...

Yep, And I'll say exactly what I said on FRDB. I think it's been great so far, I'll continue to watch, and Neil Degrasse Tyson is an great spokesman for...well, for facts.

Actually, my mother and I watched the first episode together, and although I'm the science nerd in the family, she was hooked. As were my friends who are not science nerds like I am.
 
It just dawned on me. The reason the new Cosmos has so much animation is probably related to the fact that Seth McFarlane is an executive producer. He must have chomped at the bit to do animation that is radically different from Family Guy and all of its clones.
 
I've continued to watch every week, and it hasn't disappointed. I think I like the original a tad more, but that may just be my childhood bias creeping in.
 
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