History Channel: The Persians

I watched this 44 minute documentary on the Persians; I found it on Youtube, definitely recorded off the History Channel. I had many mixed emotions on it. Overall though, I would give it a 6/10. The knowledge they packed into it in 44 minutes was brilliant. On the downside, being the viewer I felt there was no breathing time. It was so quick and fast, it indeed seemed like they were trying to cram too much information in at once.

Also, the historians sharing the info greatly varied. There was a speaker whom we never saw commentating and speaking throughout, but the reoccurring man I would see speak tried to be hip and casual. It was so weird, he was an old man, almost fully bald. And he used the "man" expression when was so impressed with a fact he was sharing. ie. "These temples were huge, man!" I found that very odd.

I loved the graphics and computer footage they used. Diagrams etc. that was really helpful to see architecture (since the only footage of it nowadays is worn out and mostly gone), to see the roads and canals these Persians built, it helps with size dimensions, you get a feel for how massive accomplishments back then were.

I also liked to see views of the real land where the Persians built their empire. It was gorgeous and it helps with visually thinking about how they lived back in the day.

I thought a major weakness was the random shots of actors pretending to be Persians. They looked terribly fake and almost corny, it distracts from learning, they look dramatic and are moving their mouths but we don't hear anything. So for me, it was like mixing a muted movie/remake into a mini documentary and it didn't work for me.