A very average documentary. If you love big cats, then you like this. The basic plot is that the film makers followed a pride of lions and a lone cheetah mother with her new cubs. Eventually, the two groups meet, briefly. There is nothing new to this film. If you've seen any number of NatGeo or Animal Planet documentaries on big cats or the African plains, then you've seen all this before and more(we'll get to that)
The pros: Great cinematography, great sound, adequate soundtrack, plenty of great close-ups, and even a set of villains.
The cons: Although Samuel L. Jackson is the only true African Cat, I felt he was wrong for the narration. I don't have a decent alternative in mind; Morgan Freeman would be overkill. Sam didn't do a bad job overall, I just felt he was wrong for this part. I kept expecting the lead villain, Kali the lion, to invoke Jules from Pulp Fiction and strike the savanna down with furious anger. Also, what sets cable documentaries apart from this film is the true circle of life--something Disney should know something about since they gave us the Lion King. On TV, you will see plenty of after-the-hunt carnage. There are only a handful of kill scenes in the movie, most off-screen, one even conveniently hidden behind a mound of earth. Sorry if you are easily offended by real life, but if you want a good documentary about top-line predators, you better show why they are the kings and queens of Africa. I'd have much preferred to see the courtship rituals of the animals, the awesomeness of lions mating, and seeing the cubs born. You get a lot of lion roaring, running, and plenty of shots of lion testicles.
Overall, to see a documentary like this on the big screen is a nice change; you really do see it all and it's cool and impressive as far as the animals go. But don't expect it to be great. Disney sanitized the film to take anything potentially offensive out, except for the above mentioned lion nards.
The theater was packed on an afternoon showing. I didn't think of this as a kid's movie, but the SUV-driving chumps(way to celebrate Earth Day, guzzlers) had to drag them into the theater, with "awwwwws" at every turn for all the close-up shots of the cubs. Very annoying. Don't see this opening weekend if you plan to enjoy it. Go on a Tuesday at noon. Chances are you'll have the theater mostly free of rug rats running all over.
The pros: Great cinematography, great sound, adequate soundtrack, plenty of great close-ups, and even a set of villains.
The cons: Although Samuel L. Jackson is the only true African Cat, I felt he was wrong for the narration. I don't have a decent alternative in mind; Morgan Freeman would be overkill. Sam didn't do a bad job overall, I just felt he was wrong for this part. I kept expecting the lead villain, Kali the lion, to invoke Jules from Pulp Fiction and strike the savanna down with furious anger. Also, what sets cable documentaries apart from this film is the true circle of life--something Disney should know something about since they gave us the Lion King. On TV, you will see plenty of after-the-hunt carnage. There are only a handful of kill scenes in the movie, most off-screen, one even conveniently hidden behind a mound of earth. Sorry if you are easily offended by real life, but if you want a good documentary about top-line predators, you better show why they are the kings and queens of Africa. I'd have much preferred to see the courtship rituals of the animals, the awesomeness of lions mating, and seeing the cubs born. You get a lot of lion roaring, running, and plenty of shots of lion testicles.
Overall, to see a documentary like this on the big screen is a nice change; you really do see it all and it's cool and impressive as far as the animals go. But don't expect it to be great. Disney sanitized the film to take anything potentially offensive out, except for the above mentioned lion nards.
The theater was packed on an afternoon showing. I didn't think of this as a kid's movie, but the SUV-driving chumps(way to celebrate Earth Day, guzzlers) had to drag them into the theater, with "awwwwws" at every turn for all the close-up shots of the cubs. Very annoying. Don't see this opening weekend if you plan to enjoy it. Go on a Tuesday at noon. Chances are you'll have the theater mostly free of rug rats running all over.