Winged Migration (***)
review by Jon Waterman

Have you ever watched birds fly overhead and dream of joining them? Have you ever just wanted to know where they were going? Even if the answer is “No,” then have I ever got the movie for you.

“Winged Migration” follows thousands of birds as they fly thousands of miles towards artic or tropical locations (depending on the species). We’re given subtitles telling us which kind of bird we’re looking at and where they are going. Ten seconds later, we forget all of that information. None of it really matters, though. All you have to do is sit back and watch the pretty pictures.

Looking is just about all anyone can do during this film. Narration by Jacque Perrin (who also co-wrote and co-directed) comes in just long enough to keep you awake and then goes away for a long, long stretch. Of course, there are other noises in the film. For instance, it seems that every bird that comes across the screen must make some sort of noise. I know these must have been added in later, because sound equipment couldn’t have been used on every shot. So, knowing this, I must ask “Why?” It got a little annoying sometimes, because there were hundreds of birds on screen sometimes. There were moments were it felt I was looking at a noisy Magic Eye illusion or Where’s Waldo? drawing.

At least the pictures are actually pretty. You won’t find more consistently breathtaking images this year. Using various forms of aerial transportation and some boat work, the many different cameramen capture close-ups of these birds doing things that no human would normally get to see. I found myself letting out small laughs of amazement, trying to figure out how they could ever get some of the incredible shots.

The film is basically a feature length National Geographic show. It’s a 100-minute Discovery Channel special with less talking and no commercials. Honestly, I would not have complained if there were commercial breaks. As amazing as the movie was, it was extremely repetitive and the lack of explanation started to take a toll on me. Breaking it up with something different would have helped a lot.

I doubt the film is good enough or rather informational enough to be shown in schools, but it’s still worth seeing if you’re at all interested in nature or birds or just great cinematography. I don’t know if I’d watch it again, but I’m fascinated by the process involved and could see myself watching a documentary on the film over and over.

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