Lives of wild felines exposed in 'Cats'
I sat in awe of what my eyes beheld.
There on the river bank stood a mighty male lion defending his pride from an aggressive crocodile attempting to interrupt their dinner.
With inches between their noses, the lion and crocodile play a deadly game of chicken. The lion cuts loose with bloodcurdling bellows. The reptile hisses.
The lion advances. The crocodile slowly backs off. Then, with one final snap! of its jaws in protest, the reptile retreats into the water.
The mighty lion stands down, and I started breathing again.
“African Cats” is filled with scenes like this one. Incredible, wonderful, frightening, tense and insightful scenes that drop us into the lives of the wild cats that roam the hostile and unforgiving land of Kenya.
This doc, co-directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill, assembles some of the most moving and educational animal kingdom footage since “March of the Penguins.”
It took his crew more than two and a half years of filming in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve to get what we see here, and their patience and persistence pay off handsome entertainment dividends for us.
“African Cats” is a Walt Disney release, so we know that (A) it will be of extremely high technical quality, and (B) things won't get too graphic for the kiddies.
At the outset, “African Cats” announces it's the story of two mothers.
One is Layla, a lioness that lives with the River Pride on the south side of the river.
On the north is Sita, a cheetah, the fastest animal on land.
Sita has five newborn cubs. Layla has a daughter, Mara, sired by the pride's aging alpha male, the mighty Fang. (His name stems from his appearance after one of his teeth gets broken off.)
We are told, through Samuel L. Jackson's constantly running narration, that cheetahs are solitary hunters; lions hunt in groups.
“African Cats” is far more successful at making its footage conform to a narrative mold than the doc “Born to Be Wild” from two weeks ago.
In fact, “African Cats” could almost be called a political analysis of the wild kingdom, for it studies the elemental power structure of the cats' world with almost Shakespearean drama.
To the north, rival lion Kali sets his sights on Fang's turf, but the high waters and crocs prevent him from crossing.
The waters will eventually recede, however, and Kali plans to invade the south with his three rowdy sons, each of whom would like to bump off the old man and take over.
Every once in a while, Dad has to remind the kids who's in charge.
The stakes are high, for if Fang cannot protect his pride, he will be killed and his lionesses taken over by Kali. And Fang's daughter Mara will also be killed. This is serious.
Like many nature docs, “African Cats” attempts to humanize its main characters, so we're emotionally invested in them. That way, when the valiant femme warrior Sita makes a kill, we feel elation that her babies will not starve.
There is so much to recommend in this doc — how the heck did that photographer get those fantastically tight tracking shots of a cheetah burning up the ground at full speed? — that I couldn't believe the pandering, juvenile script given to Jackson.
Can't the narrator tell us about little Mara's respect for her father without resorting to this: “To Mara, he's the best dad, ever!”
Jackson's script is littered with saggy clichés. (“Time is not on their side!” “Fang's future is hanging by a thread!” “... escaped just by the skin of a crocodile's tooth!”)
Fortunately, not even a substandard script can dim this movie's appeal.
When Sita defends her cubs from a pack of hyenas, our hearts race.
When Fang goes to face Kali for his family, the blood pressure rises.
This is one incredible, real-life adventure not to be missed. And you can plug in iPods if you don't like the narration.
Note: Because the MPAA's Ratings Board apparently doesn't want to be responsible and tell parents that there might be some animal scenes inappropriate for very young children, I just did.
<b>“African Cats”</b>
★ ★ ★
<b>A documentary directed by:</b> Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill
<b>Other:</b> A Walt Disney Studio Motion Picture release. Rated G. 90 minutes