Into the Amazon follows Doug Phillips and his team of thirty men on an adventure to the Amazon jungle, high into the Andes Mountains, and to the Great Peruvian Desert. In the seven episodes—over 300 minutes on 4 DVDs—Vision Forum aims to display the wonders of God's creation, expose you to South American history and explain why the Amazon is one of the central battlegrounds in the war between radical environmentalism and biblical Christianity.
Episodes:
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The Mystery of the Meaning of the Amazon
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The Mystery of the Lost Legacy of Adventure & Dominion
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The Mystery of the Strange Creatures of the Amazon
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The Mystery of the Plants of the Amazon
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The Mystery of the Lost Tribes
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The Mystery of the Ica Stones & the Great Peruvian Desert
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The Mystery of Machu Picchu and the Mighty Inca Empire
Our Honest Opinion:
In reviewing this set, I'm first going to say that I really liked Vision Forum's Mysterious Island DVD (on the Galapagos Islands) and that I expected more of the same. In terms of film quality and editing, these DVDs mostly succeed. However, the set promises far more than it delivers.
Granted, I agree with much of what Mr. Phillips has to say: he has some great insights and is able to clearly dilineate a vision for the Amazon, one filled with God-honoring exploration, discovery, and taking dominion of this amazing part of the globe. His emphasis on biblical manhood is also good.
My problem is with the way the set was filmed and even more with the way anticipation is built.
The first two "mysteries" are primarily composed of a sermon preached by Mr. Phillips as the team embarks on their expedition into the jungle. There is an excellent miniature documentary on Teddy Roosevelt in the second episode, but the first two episodes are almost exclusively Doug Phillips talking; excellent stuff, yes—but calling them "mysteries"?? Also, they explore a massive treehouse, which supposedly has a great view of the surrounding jungle. After climbing up four stories, you see a short interchange with Mr. Phillips and his son Joshua before demonstrating how a a hammock works. Really!? No view of the jungle at all.
The third "mystery" (of the strange creatures) has the team exploring the market of a south american town, visiting a petting zoo, going in search of wild anaconda, and visiting bat caves. This really sounds exciting, but you're always let down: they never see an anaconda (except for the baby one in the zoo); nor do they really film the bat caves (you'll be happier if you watch Batman Begins). I understand that wild animals are shy and won't usually cooperate with a film team (especially a novice team that is part of a larger group), but the episode didn't need to build up the anticipation if they weren't going to fulfill it.
The fourth episode was actually quite fascinating. The plants of the Amazon are really amazing and this episode managed to capture some of that. Plants can't hide, and the film team did an excellent job here.
It will help you to know that the set does not restrict itself to the Amazon river and jungles, but pursues South American history (the Incas, etc), and they also visit the Great Peruvian Desert. The fifth episode deals with the "lost tribes"—well, really mostly one remote tribe. It includes footage of the team's mission work, their interacting with some of the villagers, even visiting one of the homes. But calling it a "mystery" is a stretch.
The sixth episode was also intriguing. The Ica Stones—ancient burial stones that depict men riding large lizards (dinosaurs?) and doing intricate surgeries, among other things—are worth investigation and the Nazca Lines—huge drawings in the desert that can only be seen from the air—are amazing. I've watched this one twice and I'd watch it again.
The seventh mystery—about Machu Picchu—was also extremely interesting but also the most frustrating of the episodes. The filming team managed to capture some great images of Machu Picchu, but it seems like the emphasis is to always keep the camera on Mr. Phillips. When it's following him around, he will say "WOW! look at that!" But do you think the camera takes a few seconds to pan around? Nope.
The bonus features mostly repeat material from the other episodes, though there is one clip featuring street singing (including Doug) and another showing off an amazing hotel. Also included: an expanded tutorial on how to make monkey calls...
To sum up, these DVDs manage to whet your appetite for more about the Amazon and South America. They're not badly done, but they definitely have irritating limitations. It seems as if Doug Phillips always wanted to visit the Amazon with his sons and this was a great way to document the trip. As a result, these episodes will probaly have more value for him and the members of his team than for those of us who could not go.
PLEASE NOTE: this is your last chance to buy this book. We will NOT be buying it again. Also, this book is NOT RETURNABLE, and SOLD AS-IS. It may have defects, such as highlighting, torn pages or loose cover.
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