6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Fifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make..
Director: Dereck JoubertDocumentary | 100% |
Family | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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).
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.
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.
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.
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