Movie Reviews

Okay, so whenever I tell someone about this movie, the standard response seems to be, "A movie about migrating birds? Yeah, that sure sounds pretty entertaining" (with little-to-no effort made to disguise any trace of sarcasm). I'm not kidding, though, when I say that Winged Migration is perhaps one of the most fascinating documentaries I've ever seen.

I understand that the filmmakers (there was quite a team of them) spent many years in close proximity to a huge number of birds of a variety of species, causing the birds to become accustomed to the camera equipment and ultralight aircraft. The result is that the filmmakers were able to film these birds from extremely close ranges, not only while they were on the ground, but also while in mid-flight on their migration routes. And I'm not talking like, five or ten feet close -- I mean that at times the camera literally seemed to have move to avoid colliding with the birds in mid-flight, and vice-versa. The film begins with a short bit of text stating that "no special effects were used in the filming of the birds." It was a good idea to include that disclaimer, because I would've been suspicious otherwise.

Winged Migration is basically broken into two halves: first, the trek southward for the winter, and then northward for the summer. A wide variety of species is filmed, flying from all over the world in areas such as the Antarctic, the African deserts, Australia, New York, and Paris. Our beloved Canadian Geese even make a lengthy cameo. But the actual migratory, flying segments of the film are only part of it. We get to spend a lot of time with the birds as they take rest-stops along their way. There are a couple pretty dramatic and fairly sad moments here, such as when a small bird slips into some oil while walking through an industrial slum. As it struggles to right itself, it just becomes further coated in oil, until it's clear that it won't be able to fly anymore. There's also some amazing footage of a wounded bird on the coast of Africa as it tries desperately (and unsuccessfully) to outrun a mob of dozens of crabs looking for a meal.

This film is not one of those nature-channel documentaries that tries to teach you a lot things about birds and their migration patterns. In fact, if there was even the tiniest fault with it, I would say that it could've tried to be just a little more informative. But then again, maybe not. It was an incredible experience to just sit back and watch these amazing animals at such an up-close and intimate range. I'm afraid that this film might loose a bit of its impact when viewed on a small television screen, but if you ever get the chance, don't pass up on checking it out.