'PLANET EARTH' TAKES VIEWERS ON GLOBAL WILDLIFE SAFARI.

Byline: David Kronke

Television Critic

A week after National Geographic unveiled its spectacular three-hour nature documentary "Galapagos," the Discovery Channel ups the ante with the 11-hour "Planet Earth."

Like its predecessor, "Planet Earth" -- available in high-definition -- offers endlessly dazzling images of our planet. Its narrative drive is a little random and uncompelling, but the exotic visuals more than compensate, testifying to the grandeur that circles our globe.

"Earth is the lucky planet," narrator Sigourney Weaver intones this evening. "Not too close to the sun; not too far. Just right."

After this Goldilocks-style assessment of Earth, we're first taken on a "Pole to Pole" trip from the Arctic to the Antarctic, with a few choice stops in between. On top of the planet, we see polar bears emerge from hibernation and wolves hunting caribou during their migrations. On the bottom, we behold penguins enduring a brutal winter in Antarctica, surviving 100-below-zero temperatures.

In between, we're treated to all manner of wildlife, none wilder-looking than the curious birds of paradise in New Guinea, whose colorful and oddly shaped plumage and quixotic mating dances are a marvel to behold.

"Patience makes these images possible," Weaver boasts of her production's perseverance. "The cameraman spent 45 days in hiding."

(Well, that's his story, at least; it's far more impressive than saying he shot it all in a day and collected a paycheck and per diem for six weeks at a nearby resort.)

Hour two of tonight's three-part extravaganza (subsequent Sundays will offer two installments) traverses the globe, contrasting the mountains of the world, including the "first intimate images of a snow leopard in the wild" in Pakistan as well as the Alps, Andes and Himalayas.

Hour three tonight plunges into the "Deep Ocean," featuring a clash between a whale shark and thousands of tuna determined to feast upon it.

Future episodes concern "Deserts," "Ice Worlds," "Shallow Seas," "Great Plains," "Jungles," "Fresh Water," "Forests" and "Caves."

Though numerous segments are staggeringly evocative and underscore the pitiless Force Majeure of the wild kingdom, others feel a little padded and aren't helped by the prosaic, indifferently delivered narration. Nonetheless, "Planet Earth" proves a destination viewers should definitely want to visit.

David Kronke, [phone]

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PLANET EARTH - Three stars

What: Documentary series (in high definition, where available) exploring wildlife in sundry ecosystems throughout the world.

Where: Discovery Channel.

When: 8 to 11 tonight; then 8 to 10 p.m. Sundays; through April 22.

In a nutshell: Breathtaking imagery, uninspired narration.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(color) "Planet Earth," Sundays through April 22 on the Discovery Channel, studies wildlife in the world's vast and varied ecosystems, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.