Critic Reviews

The show looks gorgeous and can stand side-by-side with the other nature docs on Netflix. The lessons it teaches are also worth learning. It’s actually not hard to imagine Down to Earth becoming part of a very hip, very millennial high school teacher’s curriculum when school starts back up in the fall.

As cringe-worthy as some celebrity attempts to Raise Awareness around certain causes can be, Efron’s winning attitude and boyish enthusiasm are simply too pure to mock. I mean that as a compliment. ... It’s a fascinating peek behind the curtain of a celebrity whose public persona and film roles tend to be too over-the-top for us to discern anything about the human being beneath.

Down to Earth may not necessarily have a cohesive focus, nor is Efron an instantly dynamic guide, but it surely has its heart (if not always its head) in the right place.

It’s possible this is faux-naivety, an artistic device to help the audience join him on his voyage of discovery, but I’m not convinced. Later, he starts talking about the health benefits of “negative ions,” for viewers who prefer inane travelogue to come with a side of quackery.