Andres Salama A fine french documentary about migratory birds, by the same team that made the insect documentary "Microcosmos". You are likely to be awed by these images, and wonder "how did they film this" all the time. Unfortunately, I also had a few reservations: one (a minor, perhaps) is that the documentary is a bit too long, even for the most enthusiasts of bird lovers. Second, the version I saw in the cinema was dubbed in a very strongly accented English, which was distractive. Third (and perhaps more seriously), some of the sequences are obviously staged (for example, a parrot escaping from a cage in the Amazon): for a movie that purports to be a documentary, seeing something to be staged is an obvious disappointment. These criticisms aside, I believe this movie is very much worthwhile watching.

jzappa I love animals intensely, and the animals in this film were so interesting to watch, because though I love them, I've never had a great knowledge of them. Winged Migration is one of those rare movies where you're stuck wondering just how the filmmakers could've possibly gotten certain shots, and even planned certain parts of the movie to happen. Here it's because the animals carry on with their natural order of existence, not at all fearful of the documentary crew.The film seems like such a serene, relaxing entertainment until suddenly birds are plucked out of the sky by the bullets of decadent sport hunters. The movie takes a sudden hairpin and begins making you furious, because you'll feel so relaxed and elated with the presence of these birds and other animals, and suddenly the self-unaware evil of man will yank them from their peace and happiness, just for fun, or money. The hunting scenes are more heartbreaking than any scene I've ever watched in a scripted movie, animals helpless and frightened for their lives, and for what? So rich, well-fed cretins, Dick Cheney being a topical life example, can have fun with guns? The film puts any decent human being into a rage. Later in the movie, we see the miserable effects of South American merchants of caged animals, who are tricked into cages and sold, never freed from the cage. And we wonder why so many parrots and other caged pets bite. Who wouldn't? Wouldn't you? You had the ability to fly and suddenly, without warning, you're kept in a cage for the rest of your life?The effect Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaut were going for with Winged Migration, a forced empathy for these creatures, is fully successful. And for those of you with affinities for animals like mine, be forewarned. This one's hard to take.

gobba55 Winged Migration is a gorgeous film. I felt as if I were flying along with the birds. I was entranced by the beauty of the birds and their behavior during migration. The way the film was shot added to it's interest and I found it to be very informative. This was well worth the time to watch. You won't be disappointed! The only reason I didn't give this movie a 10 rating is because I didn't think the few minutes of narration added to the film. I felt very distracted by it, especially that the quality of the voice-over was so poor, and the speaker's voice was flat and boring and difficult to understand. There were times when I thought he was speaking through a tube, there was a definite echo in his voice-over. Also, the music was not all that great, I think the film would have been excellent if there was an all-instrument soundtrack. Some of the songs sounded like the choir from the French movie "The Chorus." Overall, it was a beautiful movie, and my criticisms are just my opinion. Please don't be put off by them. The movie is worth seeing.

Brevity The cast seems to be very, very comfortable with the camera. I don't know what the director has done to achieve this. I'll take a quick glance around to find out. Oh, so he used professional actors. Good choice. Takes a lot of effort, too - something that must be appreciated.The costume designer must've been smoking something. The designs are in some cases utterly, outrageously unconvincing and inconsistent.The script, then. There are just too many characters. No one gets enough attention. There should've perhaps been less characters. Moreover, it almost seems they aren't even connected to each other. The movie lacks a clear protagonist, a centerpiece. Of the ensemble, the Canadian chaps seem to have a bit more screen time than most. The others do get their moment in the spotlight, and deservedly so. Also featured are very brief but powerful cameos from P. J. Squirrel and Randy Warthog, among others.This paragraph has been designed to be a bridge between the two halves of this comment. I trust you'll notice what changes.I watched a version cut into a two-part miniseries and with Finnish narration, so I can only speak about that. (No penguins! Now, where the penguins? The runtime seems to be the same, though, so I don't know...) It isn't very informative. Eero Saarinen's voice stated such facts as "it is not for aesthetic reasons that the birds fly in formation". Mm-hmm.Some bad-quality video shots - if I have seen correctly - here and there and the ill-chosen music almost ruined my awe at points. I didn't notice the much talked-about CGI shots. Maybe there were none in this version.But the visuals... Simply stated, they are breath-taking, particularly during the airborne scenes, as you'd imagine. One four-second shot of a (excuse me while I consult my dictionary) stork above the Pyrenees alone is worth it.