Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A vivid journey into the mysterious subterranean world of mycelium and its fruit— the mushroom. A story that begins 3.5 billion years ago, fungi makes the soil that supports life, connecting vast systems of roots from plants and trees all over the planet, like an underground Internet. Through the eyes of renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, professor of forest ecology Suzanne Simard, best selling author Michael Pollan, food naturalist Eugenia Bone and others, we experience the power, beauty and complexity of the fungi kingdom.
Fantastic Fungi is a visually stunning documentary whose macro and time-lapse cinematography of fungal growth is genuinely exceptional and unlike almost anything in mainstream nature filmmaking. Its subject matter — the mycelial web, psilocybin research, and fungal ecology — was relatively underexplored in documentary form at the time, giving it strong novelty. The narrative arc through Paul Stamets and the ensemble of scientists and authors is engaging and accessible, though it occasionally tips into reverent mysticism over rigorous science, keeping the plot at a solid but not exceptional level. The talking-head format limits acting assessment to the charisma of its subjects, which is above average but not remarkable. The ending is uplifting but fairly conventional for an ecological documentary, wrapping things up with hopeful messaging without a particularly memorable or surprising conclusion.