Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Last Lions Blu-ray Movie Review

Will the call of the wild be heard by generations to come?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 27, 2012

Are we fast approaching a time when our children or grandchildren will only have images of great beasts like lions to refer to, vestiges of wildlife that might seem to them as distant and fanciful as the ancient dinosaur? Before you rush to judgment, consider this fact: around fifty years, some 450,000 lions roamed the continent of Africa and now, barely a half century later, best estimates are that that total is down to around 20,000. For those of you not especially enamored of math, that’s a precipitous 95% (plus, actually) decline, a staggering statistic that might perhaps give a concrete example of what Man’s encroachment on formerly untamed wilderness has done to certain species. The debate over climate change will probably go on for decades, or until it’s decisively proven one way or the other (yes, some would argue it was proven decisively years ago), but The Last Lions doesn’t really get into that controversy and instead concentrates on one of the last remaining pockets of wild lions in Okavanga Delta. The documentary, by famed wildlife photographers and researchers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who have a number of other National Geographic outings to their name, tells a dramatic story about a “widowed” lioness (for want of a better term) who is among the survivors in this region and who is desperately attempting to protect her newborn cubs. The Jouberts always manage to capture absolutely amazing footage, and that’s certainly the case here, but there’s also some slightly questionable content here, with regard to imputing human emotions and motives onto these wild animals, something assisted by some judicious editing and story shaping that at least partially removes this piece from feeling like a real "true life adventure” (which, truth be told, in the hands of Disney at least often felt as contrived as this piece sometimes does).

It’s a little ironic to hear the sonorous (and weirdly hushed) tones of Jeremy Irons narrating The Last Lions, especially when Dereck Joubert’s script has Irons identifying the main “villain” of the piece, a water buffalo bull, as “Scar Face.” Talk about a cross-platform marketing strategy! How The Lion King’s Scar ended up serving as voice over artist for a piece helping to show how lions survive is no doubt intentional (and probably delicious) irony (or Irons-y, as the case may be), but Irons brings a certain deliberate approach to his narration which is only heightened by the rather poetic text Joubert has provided for the actor to read. Yes, The Last Lions is full of all sorts of perhaps imagined emotions and ascribed motives, but the fact is this footage supports at least part of the storyline melded to it, even if there is the faint whiff of things being just slightly engineered at times.

The Last Lions really only mentions the devastation visited on the species by Man in a couple of passing references (including a wonderfully evocative opening where the increasing lights on the planet are likened to eclipsing the iconic mascot of The Dark Continent), and instead focuses on the struggle of an individual lioness and her three cubs. The lioness is shown in a fierce battle in one of the documentary’s opening sequences, a battle which actually ends up taking the life of her mate. She’s left “widowed,” therefore, with three young cubs to look after. The battle is actually with an invading tribe of lions which is looking for meatier hunting grounds, and without her mate to help protect her and her cubs, this lioness, dubbed Ma di Tau (Mother of Lions), has to make a risky decision: stay and fight, which is probably unwinnable, or manage somehow to find a safe haven, which involves crossing deep water, something anathema to lions.

Ma di Tau does in fact decide to risk the water, which has some devastating consequences (not the last time for devastating consequences in this sometimes disturbing piece). That leads the lioness and her surviving cubs to an island in the middle of the swamp where the lioness must adapt new hunting methods to finally bring down some of the water buffalo which are in abundance, but which tend to stick close to the wetlands, not Ma di Tau’s preferred hunting grounds. The footage here is simply staggering, and the Jouberts once again prove themselves the unmatched masters of being able to get incredibly up close and personal shots of the lions and various other wildlife that drifts into view.

There’s a certain ruthlessness to this documentary, as with some of the other Jouberts’ clear headed examination of (to paraphrase The Lion King itself) “the circle of life.” This is in fact another Joubert outing where a hapless cub ends up with a broken back and the mother knows there is no hope and simply abandons the poor youngster. It’s heartbreaking, and The Last Lions, while capturing some footage which improbably seems to suggest Ma di Tau is crying (I’m not kidding), Irons at least tempers it somewhat by admitting humans have no idea of the grief animals feel, if indeed they feel anything at all.

The Last Lions is also a promotional effort in a way for National Geographic’s big cat initiative CauseanUproar,org., and it certainly stands as a testament to these incredible creatures’ strength in the face of adversity. Hopefully Man, which has wreaked such havoc on the lions’ habitat, can also come to the lions’ aid, so that our children and grandchildren have more than simply documentaries to reference when they wonder what the big cats were really like.

The Last Lions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Lions is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Virgil Films and National Geographic with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Due to the nature (no pun intended) of this release, where virtually everything is in motion almost all of the time, it was much more difficult to capture good looking screenshots which adequately display this release's largely impeccable sharpness and clarity, so don't be overly concerned by the somewhat soft appearance of at least some of these screencaps. This is a stellar looking release, one that offers near impeccable visuals, with incredibly robust color and some amazing detail (just pay attention to how often you can see little bugs crawling over the various animals' faces and bodies). Depth of field in the far shots is also awesome in several establishing shots. The only real artifact of any note here is some minor banding which is readily apparent in a couple of shots. Otherwise this is a problem free presentation which really proves why the Jouberts are held in such high regard in the world of nature documentaries.

The Last Lions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Even better is The Last Lions' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, one which combines incredible ambient environmental sounds with an often thundering underscore. (For the record, there's also a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix on this disc.) As amazing as the photography in this piece is (and it's simply mind boggling at times), the documentary also presents the perhaps subliminal question of "how in the world did they ever get these sounds recorded"? Despite the camera looking like it must have been quite some distance from the subjects, we get really minimal noises, like a cub's frantic mewing, or even the buzz of a fly descending onto the wet nose of a water buffalo. There's fairly consistent use of the surround channels throughout this presentation, though Irons' narration is anchored front and center. Perhaps surprisingly, this track is literally awash in LFE, both from the various animal noises (a bull buffalo stomps down on the ground at one point with almost explosive fury) as well as the evocative score, which features a lot of percussion along with a shimmering female vocalist. Fidelity and dynamic range are both top notch.

The Last Lions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (HD; 27:10) contains some amazing footage of the Jouberts getting up close and personal with the lions.
• Deleted Scenes (HD; 9:52) offers some pretty graphic footage of a baby water buffalo getting born and then meeting a fairly quick end at the hands (paws?) of a lion. There's another graphics scene showing lions taking down an adult water buffalo.
• CauseanUproar.org (HD; 00:30) is a public service announcement.
• Interview with Dereck and Beverly Joubert (720p; 12:18) is a very informative piece with the Jouberts, who have devoted much of their lives to helping promote the cause of endangered species.
• Theatrical Trailer I (720p; 1:49)
• Theatrical Trailer II (720p; 1:50

The Last Lions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is The Last Lions "arranged"? Probably, at least partially. Does that mean it's worthless? Hardly. The Jouberts are simply among the most amazing nature documentarians other there—some would argue they're the most amazing by far—and this sterling piece is yet another testament to what incredible footage they are able to capture, seemingly effortlessly. Ma di Tau makes for an incredibly appealing and sympathetic heroine, and the documentary makes the subtle point that these incredible creatures' days may be numbered if Man doesn't start taking their decreasing numbers more seriously. This Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic, and it comes Highly recommended.