An orange sun rising over jagged cliffs. Dark blue waves crashing against black rocks. Captivating scenes from around the world captured a single TV show: “Our Great National Parks” on Netflix. Hosted by former president Barack Obama, this show brings audiences to exotic locations through only a camera lense and a television screen.
The first episode begins with Obama walking down a beach in Honolulu, Hawai’i. A beach he visited many times as a child, he describes how this place inspired him to pursue conservation and find respect for natural areas. Although the monologue is a little jarring and slightly odd as it comes seemingly out of nowhere, it does add a personal feel to the series and allows the director to take advantage of their well known host.

The first episode acts sort of as an intro to the rest of the series. Unlike the other episodes, it covers snippets of natural environments from all over the world. From surfing hippos to leaping lemurs, the technological advancements in cameras beautifully capture the inner lives of creatures in a way never seen before.

The following episodes each focus on one specific national park. The second and third episodes cover Chilean Patagonia, a grass-filled mountainous South American landscape, and Tsavo National Park in Kenya, a place that transforms from desert to grassland after a short rain. The last two episodes cover Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, a coastal marvel, and Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia, a dense and diverse rainforest.

Overall, I would say that the series as a whole is strong. The camera work is absolutely stunning. From night vision cameras that are able to present scenes in color, to shots of thrilling cougar chases, this series truly presented nature in an absolutely groundbreaking way.

I am not opposed to the idea of Obama making monologues entirely, but I feel like it is a stylistic choice that the show relies too heavily on, especially at the beginning of episodes. A few of his monologues are beneficial to the story, but I would say for the most part, the show, and the monologue-heavy first episode would benefit from these elements being reduced.

The second thing I would say is to forget about the host. Although hosted by a very well known politician, this show is not necessarily political. It can be enjoyed by people across the political spectrum. Obama does not talk about any of his political beliefs other than those relating to national parks, and even then it is brief in every episode except the first. The last thing I would want is for someone to miss out on the show because they have personal qualms with the former president.

At the end of the day this is a solid show. It covers natural beauty from around the world in an exquisite fashion, and it tells stories that the world has never seen. I would recommend this show to any nature loving veterans, or to any interested “newbies”. With a 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a five out of five on Common Sense Media and a 7.8 from IDBM, I have to agree with what seems to be a consensus: this show will not be a waste of your time.