‘Enchanted Kingdom’ Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Mankind’s relationship with nature is fascinating to say the least. For the trees and the wildlife that surround us, tend to serve as a wonderful way to forget about the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives and while it’s a good thing to truly reconnect with nature and take in the wonder of the world that surrounds us, the fact that we use it as an escape doesn’t really allow for us to truly appreciate its majesty. Because once we are back at the office, plugging away, we immediately forget about the power and the beauty of the world we are lucky to be a part of, and that’s a message that I couldn’t help but noticed permeated the latest earth-themed documentary from BBC America, Enchanted Kingdom.
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Because this documentary wasted no time in showing us how we sometimes lose ourselves in the concrete and metal jungles that we surround ourselves with and in doing so, we lose sight of the fact that there is a whole world out there, thriving and teaming with life. And rather than provide us with a massive look at the entire planet, it instead narrowed its focus to the continent of Africa, wherein we took a journey through everything this majestic and rich continent has to offer, in the most unique fashion imaginable. Because I couldn’t help but notice that this documentary found a way to focus on those truly special places, where it doesn’t seem possible for life to thrive.

For example, we spent a little time in the heart of Africa’s jungles, where the vegetation is so thick that the sun doesn’t reach some places, and that’s forced the driver ant to evolve to function without sight, to the point where they are feared since they can devour just about anything that gets in their path. Plus, we got to spend a little time in places that would be poisonous to most life, yet there are flamingos that thrive in these places, feasting upon algae that helps to keep their feathers beautiful, and we were even able to gain a little insight on how plants and other species handle the up and down nature of Mt. Kenya, since the inhabitants there experience all four seasons, over the course of a single day.

But, while it seems as though focusing only on the unique is a strange way to hammer home the point that there’s a whole forgotten world out there, diversity is the point. Because seeing every biosphere that Africa has to offer, helps to remind us that we need to appreciate every nook and cranny of this tiny little blue rock that we call home. Yet, while all of these places were magnificent to look at in their own right, and while it was equally as awesome to see what wild creatures roam about in these places, what mattered the most when it comes to this documentary, was the fight for survival that we were privy to. Because every species here and around the globe, are trying their best to get along and would like to see another tomorrow and that’s where the message for this tale, came around full circle.

Because, that’s exactly what we are doing too, in our own way of course, but the similarities are there none the less. If anything, that little revelation, made the ending of this story powerful and poignant. For it reminds us that we are still a part of nature in our own right, we just tend to miss that fact, since our world is a little different. But it never hurts to slow down and appreciate how lucky we are to be alive on a planet teeming with life and beauty and well, you can’t go wrong with a documentary that reminds you of that fact (or one that features magnificent narration from Idris Elba) and well, when all is said and done, this really was a beautiful look at our world and I cannot thank BBC America enough for once again putting together a powerful piece on the wondrous planet we’ve all been gifted with. 

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