Egypt's pyramids have been a source of fascination and wonder ever since they were built more than 4,500 years ago. The largest of them all is the Great Pyramid: the pharaoh Khufu had it built to house his body after death, thus ensuring eternal life. Part of Khufu's plan for immortality was that his tomb would be so large and so spectacular that his name would be remembered forever... and judging from the fascination that the Great Pyramid exerts on us even now, Khufu indeed achieved his goal. In National Geographic's Into the Great Pyramid, viewers are taken on an insider's tour of the Great Pyramid itself, and get a first glimpse into an ancient sarcophagus.

Into the Great Pyramid doesn't follow the typical documentary style, with its traditional voiceover narration presenting a lecture on a particular topic. Instead, the program takes the approach of filming two important archaeological discoveries as they happen, with National Geographic hosts providing commentary and insights as to what's going on. One host accompanies a research team as they attempt to send a robot probe to investigate an unexplored shaft within the Great Pyramid; the other watches over the opening of Egypt's oldest intact sarcophagus. Though at first I found the approach rather peculiar, it definitely grew on me: the "live" approach really captures the feeling of excitement and discovery that's at the heart of archaeology.

While typical documentaries tend to present facts simply as facts, Into the Great Pyramid focuses on how archaeologists have discovered what we know about Egypt's past. I appreciated the manner in which the program provides an enthusiastic yet realistic representation of the scientific study of the past. Into the Great Pyramid approaches its topic very much like a detective story, emphasizing the way that archaeologists unearth clues, make hypotheses, and look for further evidence to confirm or disprove their ideas as they excavate new locations or study the artifacts they have found. Along the course of the documentary, we get to see one archaeologist explaining how he developed an understanding of how the pyramid workers lived through uncovering the site where they lived and worked; another archaeologist explains how detailed examinations of the bones of ancient Egyptians can reveal intimate details of their daily lives.

Into the Great Pyramid is more than just a program about the two discoveries that were filmed live; a substantial amount of interesting and up-to-date information is  presented on the lives of the workers who built the pyramid, as well as on the evolution of pyramid styles and information about the Great Pyramid itself. I particularly enjoyed the detail that the program goes into about the daily lives of ordinary people, the workers and managers of ancient Egypt.

Computer graphics are used selectively and very effectively at various points throughout the program. For instance, we see an interior diagram of the Great Pyramid and its inside chambers, with a locator mark showing where the narrator and camera are at that moment. Another excellent use of computer graphics is to show how the rooms were created in the pyramid. Judicious use of live actors to reenact scenes of daily life for the workers building the pyramid also helps to bring the realities of ancient Egypt vividly to life.

The one part that I didn't like about this documentary was the first segment, before the title sequence: it basically sums up everything that the documentary is going to talk about. It's evidently a television ploy to "hook" viewers into sticking around for the rest of the program, but on DVD it's just an annoying preview with spoilers. I chose to skip over it and get right to the real thing, with no ill effects.

This 90-minute documentary is well paced; the twin focus of the exploration of the Great Pyramid and the opening of the sarcophagus allows the program to keep the interest level high the entire time. The information is presented in a clear, interesting manner, and without repetition.

The DVD

Video

This National Geographic special is presented on DVD in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Overall, the transfer offers good video quality. Some of the outdoor shots are a bit grainy, and there's some edge enhancement apparent at times, but this is never a problem. The print is clean and provides good contrast, especially important since a number of the scenes take place at night, and excellent colors.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is entirely satisfactory for the purposes of this documentary. The voices of both the National Geographic hosts and the scientists are always clear and crisp; the sound as a whole is clean and free of any background noise.

Extras

A few minor special features are included on this DVD. An interactive pyramid map is the most interesting: it shows the development of different pyramid styles, with informative diagrams and interesting facts about the specific pyramids. A timeline of ancient Egypt and a pyramid quiz are also included.

Final thoughts

Into the Great Pyramid is an informative and quite interesting documentary that takes advantage of a somewhat unusual style of presentation to highlight the excitement of making an archaeological discovery. The program offers a look into the Great Pyramid itself as well as quite a bit of insight into the lives of the people who actually built it. Due to the "live" style of presentation, Into the Great Pyramid doesn't have a large amount of replay value, but it is definitely worth picking up if you are interested in ancient Egypt at all.