THE LAST LIONS

CAROLINE: I was very curious about the new documentary The Last Lions, so I took myself to see it this past holiday weekend.

RYAN: Honey, I haven’t even heard of this movie. What on earth are you talking about?

CAROLINE: It’s only out in limited release, but I saw something about it on The Today Show and I was intrigued. Let’s just say I don’t regret seeing it, but it wasn’t all that.

RYAN: So is it a nature documentary?

CAROLINE: Yes, from National Geographic. Obviously, it’s well shot with beautiful scenery of Africa and all that and the lion cubs are adorable; but the whole thing feels very contrived.

RYAN: How so?

CAROLINE: They make this whole story up about the main lioness and her cubs and you don’t know if it’s just creatively edited or if all this stuff actually happens. Allegedly, she loses her mate and has to go off to another territory to escape the enemy pride, and in so doing she puts her cubs in peril. It has some harrowing moments, but you’re never sure if they’re real.

RYAN: I see what you mean. So it’s not just a straight up doc about lions – they try to make it a real story?

CAROLINE: Exactly, and it feels potentially fake like a reality show in that way.

RYAN: That’s disappointing. I do love a good nature movie.

CAROLINE: Me too, but this one never fully engaged me. I thought I’d be much more into it than I was. Having said that, I totally bawled my eyes out in one scene.

RYAN: Seriously?

CAROLINE: Yeah. Something awful happens to one of the cubs.

RYAN: Ugh. I can’t stand to watch that.

— BOTTOM LINE —

CAROLINE: I was excited for a really good National Geographic nature documentary, but this movie didn’t live up to my expectations. It feels a little forced. Maybe the story of the lioness is totally true, but a lot of the movie just seemed like clever editing. It has some redeeming value, but overall was a disappointment. I think there are better nature movies out there.

— RATING —