Africa: The Serengeti

2) This IMAX movie is a very interesting documentary. If you have big screenTVor digital TV, this is the one DVD you should own to enjoy stunning videoquality. It also has great Dolby Digital Sound and will max out the HomeTheater System to the fullest.

3) ***SPOILER WARNING***

The animals living in the wilds of Africa have an order, a schedule and asystem of natural law by which that spend their entire lives. Deviate fromthem and you’re dead. That is the central idea presented by `Africa: TheSerengeti’ a spectacular and sometimes breathtaking IMAX feature created byGeorge Casey who also directed the stunning `Ring of Fire’.

We learn that there is order in nature by which the lioness kills for foodthen gives the carcass to the male. The male has his share then thelionessand the cubs, then the smaller predators on down to the vultures. This isasystem and a way of life.

Early on we meet the Wildebeests who will become the focal point of Casey’sfilm. They are cattle who seem to serve the basic functions of their ownsurvival but from the film’s point of view they are also a major source offood for lions if they aren’t careful. In one tense moment we see a herdwalking cautiously past a den of lions waiting in the bush for their momentof attack. That’s just one of the many stunning moments that Casey wasableto capture. There is a heartbreaking scene in which the wildebeest heardattempts to climb some slippery rocks to evade alligators. Some become tooexhausted to carry on and will eventually become food.

Sometimes we feel like interlopers especially in the mating scenes in whichthe male lion almost seems boorish, this followed by an extreme close-up ofthe two blissful lions sleeping in the sun. But it also offers some imagesthat aren’t so easy to take like vultures picking the bones of a wildebeestto which narrator James Earl Jones offers `In nature, nothing is wasted’.We get a stomach-churning glimpse of the cheetah as it hunts down awildebeest and rips it apart.

To say that the photography of `Africa: The Serengeti’ is breathtaking isanunderstatement but the central theme of the film is that the order of thewild happens because out there it’s survival of the fittest. Even theinfants are at risk if they don’t pull their weight.

Because it is a documentary and subsequently a mirror of life we don’t knowwhat to predict. After having seen the wildebeests give birth we are toldthe if they don’t get up and walk then the heard will abandon them. Sureenough one had trouble and the heard moves on. We fear for its lifebecausewe know that it can’t possibly survive. In one surprisingly emotionalmoment the young cow springs to it’s feet and catches up with the family,the kind of stirring moment that only real life can provide.

Rating: *** (of four)

4) There are more than one element that makes this film a first rate moviegoing experience.The only actor assigned is James Earl Jones asNarrator.His gift of speech is excellent with a presentation thatallows the viewer to participate in a wider,deeper plain than just theSerengeti,however it is indeed the Serengeti where all of time passesand we are blessed with an attempt to show life as everlasting,such isthe contribution of the Narrator Voice and its place in the viewing ofthis very well made I-Max presentation.The visual aspect is notentirely subtle,it is more like, very up front with an importantcondition and that condition is in the telling of this very dramaticstory.It is not so simple a thing to allow the reader to know what isactually required but as is pointed out in the narration there is noremorse when a predator(Cheetah) runs down a Gazelle(very young one)andprovides for its own(of which there are only 1 left of 4 born to thisCheetah)It is very strong with an accent of survival merely by numbersand perhaps a little bit of luck.The fittest does not seem to fit asthe wildebeest it is suggested was formed by committee from spareparts,A very intelligent presentation with much more to come.Themigration of the large size herds is undaunted and though it isabsolutely riveting it is murderous with these almost dumb like animalsliterally trampling each other to death.It is quite something to viewas this event unfolds across the plains of the Serengeti.This migrationif you will occurs every year with the onset of the rains in the Northto the Southern extremes ,encompassing the Kenyan and Tanzanian plains.This is very much both excellent story telling and a documentary aswell.The short history and timeless quality presented provide a surveythat underpins the journey of the wildebeest and it is even a littlebit much to take when it is suggested that herbivores eat grass andvegetation while carnivores eat herbivores.What is a bit much, theredoes not seem to be a element of fitness in there survival but of thesheer weight of numbers that allow for the species to survive. Thepredators seem only to choose there time for there chance as those samenumbers go running by your front door by the thousands in thishistorical and timeless journey across the plains of Africa.This byitself will very much keep your attention,however it is not the onlyelement that this film possesses which provide for a worthwhile moviegoing experience.There is both choral and vocal composition whichaccompany the film and may almost catch you off guard as to its placein the telling of the story,it is very good.This is a no holds barredidea of life and death that is presented in a timeless quality that canget to you with a wow.The best part and perhaps the reason why thisfilm was seen by me was the I-Max format.It is in fact a WOW!The filmopens and the plains of the Serengeti are almost below you as well asthousands of running Wildebeests.This film from the beginning is acredit to the storytelling ability that the I-Max format providesfor,wide beautiful vistas stretching the limits of our movie goingexperience almost to witness a miracle (though we suggest it isnature)in the migration of the African wildebeest.This is a very goodmovie.It is worthwhile a purchase and even in a humbled presentationwill stand if you will the test of time.I know I just viewed it on mycomputer.I have had the pleasure of attending a few I-Max shows and itwould seem that not every presentation works as well as every otherpresentation.There was also the stories and that to seemed not alwaysto work either,however there were exceptions and one which I comparewith Africa:The Serengeti and that is T-Rex:Back To TheCretaceous.There are many ways to present a dramatic story and thoughAfrica:The Serengeti is an example of one such way, T-Rex:Back To TheCretaceous tells a tale with mind you the same kind of unfoldinghistory but it does it with subtlety and the development of a storywithin a story.It too, to me represents an all around presentation inthe I-Max format that is worthy of this entertainment vehicle that weknow as I-Max.Both films are excellent and both are very highlyrecommended.

5) Like any nature-log you might see on Animal Planet. But bigger.

The photography is stunning, but somehow I left the theater thinkingthat they could have made a much more exciting film. Despite thekilling scenes, it overall had a serene feel.

And what was up with the balloon people and the tribesmen? Quitetangential and not really belonging with the animal stuff. There wasn’teven really much of a connection. At not least one that we sawdepicted.

I think films like this are a waste of the IMAX medium. I would neverknock natural beauty, but why do you need IMAX for that? For REALLY BIGnatural beauty? No, the wonderful thing about IMAX is the ability tomake you feel like you’re there. So SCARE me! Put my heart in my mouth!To see the medium utilized to the fullest, see "NASCAR 3-D."