6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof (THE BOAT IS FULL) tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon from California to Switzerland, China and Australia. Exquisite macro-photography of the bees (reminiscent of MICROCOSMOS), in flight and in their hives, reveals a fascinating and complex world in crisis.
Starring: Robert Hunger-Bühler, Fred Jaggi, Randolf Menzel, John Miller (XCV), Liane SingerDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Maybe you've read news stories about the mysterious recent collapse of honeybee colonies, a near-worldwide phenomenon that had—and to some
extent, still has—scientists and researchers perplexed. And perhaps you've heard the most likely apocryphal quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "If the
bees ever die out, mankind will die out four years later." You've probably taken both with a grain of salt and went on with your day. Bees are not, for
most, a hot-button issue on the scale of, say, global warming. They sting. You go out of your way to avoid them. You enjoy the amber nectar they
produce, but you don't think much about their busy, productive, and necessary lives.
More Than Honey aims to illuminate just how essential bees are to human flourishing, but also to show how our civilization's success has
imperiled the humble honeybee, putting all of us in danger. The low-key yet ultimately harrowing documentary is the passion project of Swiss filmmaker
Markus Imhoof (Das Boot ist voll), who comes from a multi-generational family of beekeepers and decided to "take to the road to find out why"
bees all around the world are dying en masse. What he discovers is no single answer, but a multitude of ills—"not pesticides, mites, antibiotics, incest, or
stress, but a combination of all those factors"—for which we are largely responsible. But the film isn't merely a laid-on-thick societal guilt trip;
it's more of a love letter to bees, leaving us in awe and appreciative.
From a normal viewing distance, More Than Honey looks fantastic on Blu-ray, but there are a few noticeable compression issues that crop up if you take a closer look at the 1080p/AVC-encoded image. Banding is visible in many shots with fine color gradients—particularly anytime the camera is angled towards the sky—and noise is quite heavy at times. That said, I'm almost 100% positive that these nitpicks are inherent in the source material and not a product of Kino-Lorber's authoring process. From the behind-the-scenes footage you can see that a lot of the hive close-ups were shot using the Red One camera, and these look fantastic, with rich detail and color. Most of the "in the field" footage, however, appears to have been shot with a digital camera of lesser quality. Sharpness is impeccable in closeups, but many longer shots seem a little soft. Likewise, the color grading is realistic but a weak, and could perhaps use some additional contrast. Nonetheless, this is a beautiful documentary with some truly stunning images that are best seen in high definition.
Kino-Lorber has given us two audio options, a mix with the original German-language narration, from Swiss actor Robert Hunger-Bühler, and one with an English voiceover from the venerable John Hurt. Both are presented in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks, and for a documentary, the sound design here is excellent. Bees buzz and swarm in all directions, giving the rear channels plenty to do throughout. ("Do you hear that?" John Miller asks once, "That's the sound of money.") Both the narration and the interview material are clear and balanced in the mix, and there are no distractions whatsoever. Do note that there are two separate English subtitle tracks, one which times up with the German mix and another that matches John Hurt's craggy narration.
It's not quite as poetic, and doesn't aim for the profound, but More Than Honey feels like the sort of film Werner Herzog would make if he went through a bee-obsessed phase. It's beautifully shot, thoughtfully narrated, and more importantly, it raises awareness about the current plight of the honey bee, which has been disappearing worldwide because of stress and pesticides and a whole range of other environmental factors. Who knew bees were so fascinating? Kino-Lorber's Blu-ray release is pretty sweet too, with a number of extras, including an exclusive interview with director Markus Imhoof. Highly recommended!
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