National Geographic: Predators at War

National Geographic: Predators at War

National Geographic: Predators at War
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DVD details

Artist: Artist Not Provided
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: G75101
Studio: National Geographic Video
Product features:
  • Follow Africa's five mega-predators as they struggle for survival in a cruel season of deprivation on South Africa's Mala Mala Reserve. To survive, they must compete for the same resources using every physical and psychological weapon in their respective arsenals. Who will emerge as top predator? What will it take to survive? From the perspective of the very creatures now pitted against one anothe

DVD Reviews of National Geographic: Predators at War

DVD Review: Excellent documentary marred by gimmicks
Summary: 4 Stars

This is not a video about normal interactions between predators. Rather, this is a video about predators under stress. Drought has hit the Mala Mala game reserve, and two rainy seasons have passed with little or no rain. Food is scarce, and the competition between the predators is becoming more and more fierce.

The normal enmity between lions and hyenas, never quiet in the best of times, is intensified. Both lions and hyenas steal prey cached in trees by leopards, hyenas leaping from the ground, and lions climbing to dangerous heights. Lightly built cheetahs, who normally abandon their prey at the slightest opposition, instead defend it. Wild dogs and vultures also vie for their share. Increased competition means more confrontation - and more violence.

Third generation game warden Kim Wolhuter captures the action on film. There is no lack of dramatic moments, whether during hunts, or during the sometimes fatal fights over carcasses that follow. The video does not flinch from showing the details - details which, while sometimes gruesome, nonetheless illuminate the underlying ecological dynamic. Wolhuter's occasional commentary helps explain how the drought is affecting the animals' behavior, making them more aggressive and less predictable.

Unfortunately, the producers saw fit to jazz up an already good video with questionable metaphors and sometimes inappropriate special effects. The narration pushes military similes too far - lions, while powerful, are not armored like tanks. The visualization of the animals' musculature is useful, but the visualizations of the animals as mechanical robots is at best gimmicky. The special effects used for the lion's roar could be misleading, and the sequence on hyenas hearing the sounds of a lion kill seem to have no bearing on reality.

If you're already familiar with how these predators normally behave, and you can filter out the sometimes overdone narration and special effects, this video is worth buying. If you just want some gory entertainment, it may even be perfect. On the other hand, if you think the gimmicks will bother you, you may want to look for an alternative. If you don't mind VHS, National Geographic: Africa's Stolen River documents another drought in another part of Africa without the gimmicks. If this is your first video on African wildlife, you might want to consider National Geographic Video: Africa's Animal Oasis on VHS, or the Joubert's classic National Geographic: Eternal Enemies - Lions and Hyenas on DVD.
More National Geographic: Predators at War reviews:
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Description of National Geographic: Predators at War

Follow Africa's five mega-predators as they struggle for survival in a cruel season of deprivation on South Africa's Mala Mala Reserve. To survive they must compete for the same resources using every physical and psychological weapon in their respective arsenals. Who will emerge as top predator? What will it take to survive? From the perspective of the very creatures now pitted against one another Predators at War reveals the ultimate inside look at animal survival through groundbreaking images innovative story-telling and the visual language of war.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 727994751014
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