Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

areegmahmoud The Last Lions, a Journey of why we should be concerned. Set in the Okavanda delta, in Africa, The Last Lions (released: 2011) documentary starts off by warning us, the audience, of how much the lions' population has declined in the past fifty years. It then takes us on a journey to discover how a lone lioness has to take care of her three cubs in the face of the harsh modern African wild-life. The documentary shows us the lioness's point of view on things and how she devices plans to get her cubs to a place safe enough, long enough so they can grow and be able to defend for themselves. The lioness's journey starts with her being named Ma Di Tau, which means protector of her young. The Documentary shows us the many obstacles that Ma Di Tau has to overcome, starting from the moment where her mate is killed, she's left all alone to defend herself from the new pack of lions that had to move because of human advancement. The documentary then shows us that although Ma Di Tau had lost her mate, she still had a sliver of hope that she wasn't all alone, she still had her three cubs to take care of. Ma Di Tau takes her cubs and starts moving away from the pack – that's trying to hunt her down to kill her. In addition, a new obstacle appears: a fire ignites; which leaves the lioness to choose between walking along the fire line, or heading off in the direction of humans, and guns. In this moment the documentary shows us an effect of human advancement: limiting the land to which she can run away. But Ma Di Tau doesn't give up; she keeps looking for new land; the lioness then finds an island – named Duba – safe enough, until the new obstacles arrive. All the while, the documentary shows us the very complex thoughts that the lioness goes through in her survival oriented mind; the narrator speaks for the lioness and how she goes through her options, and executes them precisely. Even though the documentary gives the point of view of the lioness, it also explains the logic behind her actions and what consequences these options might produce. This documentary has a specific audience, because it is not the general wild-life documentary that you might watch on a Sunday afternoon. The documentary specifically shows how this one lioness survives in the wilderness, so it'll interest people who are trying to understand how the lion mind works. On the other hand, if you are not patient enough this isn't the documentary for you because there's a lot of moments in the documentary where all you do is wait for the lioness to attack, or the lioness bonding with her cubs. It also shows a very cruel part of the wild-life, a part where the weak is left behind, so this might not be a good documentary for kids. All in all, this documentary is very informative and expressive. It shows Ma Di Tau in a very logical sense, instead of the mindless predator that a lion is represented as; it also shows a very emotional part where she's represented as a protective mother trying to save her cubs, or a grieving mother trying to get revenge for her cubs. The documentary clearly represents all these emotions and logic by showing it on camera: you can see the logical predator when she has all that blood and battle scars on her, or the protective mother look that the camera captures, and lastly the pride in which you can see in her walk when she succeeds in being a protector of her young.

fossicle I know that most animal documentaries are also sad but this one got to me towards the end with Ma di Tau and her precious little daughter. I still think about the face of the little cub.This documentary is fantastic. Great scenery and puts you in the predicament of our lions. I highly recommend watching it.One thing really got to me. It was a review by MANOHLA DARGIS of the NY times. Did this women watch the movie or just have an agenda?She says "Within the first 20 minutes of "The Last Lions" one adult lion dies in a ferocious on-screen fight .." Then in the next paragraph she says "First, her old man splits..." Well, if Manohla actually watched the movie rather than looking at it she should have known that the adult lion who died was her mate fighting for her and the cubs to protect their territory. He did not split. He fought and gave up his life for the family. That is a helluva difference Manohla.And Ma di Tau and her cubs did not "lose their home in a fire." They were forced out by the new pride that came in and took over their territory. The fire was an impediment to their escape. Geez woman get the facts right. And you are a film critic????

nanax1559 Beautifully shot, no question about it. But the anthropomorphizing is just too much. Why force a dramatic story where there is none. The real wild Africa is disappearing rapidly, but this type of film is not going to do anything to understand what is going on. I also find it really offensive to present a totally fabricated story as a "wildlife" documentary. Granted one has to take creative licenses and I respect the fact that you cannot shoot a film like that in a matter of weeks. But then don't present this as a document from the wild.Warning "Spoiler" Furthermore, why pay $10 to see this in a theater when you can see wildlife documentaries 24/7 in HD at home. In 3D, yes... but then again with my iPod turned up full blast to cancel the noise coming out of Jeremy Irons mouth.

mharding01 I was fortunate enough to see LAST LIONS at National Geographic headquarters in DC last night. It is an excellent and compelling film. Beautifully photographed and a story that will have you grasping the armrests. Just one caveat - take the PG rating seriously. Do not bring little children. Nature can be very hard and the Jouberts do not flinch from showing this side. That said, older children and of course adults will be transported. I certainly was. Though certainly the creators' intent (and NG's, too) is to educate people about the plight of lions (50 years ago there were 450,000 in the wild, now just 20,000), you will be entertained as well as enlightened.