Wonders of the Universe

Not as good as 'Wonders of the Solar System', but still worth getting
This review is based on the series as aired in the UK, March 2011. This is a follow-up to `Wonders of the Solar System'; it has the same format with Brian Cox travelling the world. As usual, some science background will help you to appreciate this series, my degree is in physics. I found it a bit slow, it is also dumbed down in places, and it is only four episodes, hence only 4 stars. The account of the nucleosynthesis of the heavy elements in stars and supernovae was fascinating, we are all made of star dust (Ep 2).

Episodes (adapted from BBC iPlayer and youtube)

1. Destiny

Professor Brian Cox explores the laws of the universe. In this episode, Brian seeks to understand the nature of time and its role in creating both the universe and ourselves.

It looks at the furthest star that we know, which blew up 13.0bn years ago. It looks at the arrow of time which is always...

Excellent Follow Up - Great Stand Alone
Just as the first reviewer, this is based on the series as it aired on the BBC. It does not speak for any additional scenes or features that may be found in the disc version.

Similarly to Wonders of the Solar System, Wonder of the Universe focuses on familiar subjects and doesn't pretend to teach advanced physics to the audience. It's a show aimed at facilitating understanding of appealing subjects and to initiate the viewer into ideas and concepts that can lead to much deeper - and more interesting - waters.

Professor Cox is a great presenter, as his attitude and general excitement about these subjects is very easily contagious. I suppose he's easy to relate to because he speaks our language - that of the layman - when explaining things that took the greatest scientists in history decades to decipher.

The 4 episodes do a good job at staying within their topics, so an overwhelming number of concepts are not thrown around, which makes these otherwise...

Cinematic experience
The minority who did not like "Wonders of the Solar System" will not like "Wonders of the Universe", but the many more who did like it will enjoy this one too - though it is not quite as good as the first series in my opinion. It has been claimed that it has little serious science. This is true. For example, compare what was said about the arrow of time and entropy with the Wikipedia page on the subject, which contains much more information on a single page. However, this misses the point. Professor Cox has rightly described the series as a "cinematic experience". It combines state-of-the-art CGI, wonderful astronomical photos, soaring music, exotic locations, fancy camerawork, and the infectious enthusiasm of Cox himself. As for the science, there may not be much depth but the topics covered are very well done and explained with crystal clarity. Everybody watching these DVDs, whether a child or a senior, will complete their viewing with some understanding of topics ranging from the...

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