Review of film: “AFRICAN CATS”

2011, 04-27:

Review of film:  “AFRICAN CATS”      

You can rest assured that this Review will be inherently “CATTY” in essence...

...  As it’s annual tribute to Earth Day, DISNEY NATURE has released this beautifully photographed documentary set in the Masai Mara game preserve in Kenya...

...  Overall, the movie concentrates on 2 main feline mothers trying to raise BABIES...

...  First, we have a lion named LAYLA.  She’s the oldest female lion in a pride of like 11 females being “protected” by a male lion named “FANG” (because of his tooth broken off in a fight).  They live on the south side of a river with often-abundant herds of hoofed animals grazing there... 

...  Layla is the “leader” of the female pride, but she’s been INJURED over the years from things like trying to capture other creatures to eat.  She’s recently had a BABY cub named MARA. &, typical of a lioness, she’s very dedicated to protecting and raising her newborn...

...  In the lion world,  it’s the FEMALES that work together to bring down prey (such as from huge herds of wildebeests and the like), & they try to eat quickly before the male comes over to forcibly take his “preferred” choice of the feast...

...  For some reason (seemingly because she’s been injured and has some trouble “keeping-up” with the rest of the group), Layla & her cub are NOT fully “accepted” by the OTHERS in the group...

...  We’re also introduced to a lion group on the NORTH side of the river.  It’s led by large male lion KALI and his 4 nearly full-grown sons.  Kali would like to take over the pride belonging to FANG, but the high river (and crocodiles in it) tend to keep them away from the south...

...  At one point, the river goes down, & Kali & one of the sons crosses it & they try to confront Fang.  The narrator (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) points out that, if Kali takes over, he’d quite likely kill Mara & try to create & raise his OWN cubs...  But Layla helps lead the females in the pride to HELP Fang, & Kali & his son “back off” from their efforts for a while... 

...  At one point, Layla initiates the group’s trying to bring down one member of a herd.  The zebra she’s chasing kicks and injures her even MORE, making it increasingly difficult for her to stay “with” the travels of the pride (& thus she & Mara become sort of “outcasts”)...

...  The other main cat the film covers is a female cheetah named “SITA”, who lives on the north side of the river.  Like most cheetahs, she tends to live a SOLITARY life rather than in a “group” like the lions do.  She’s had 5 very cute cubs (initially born unable to see until they grow older), & she works hard to try to provide food for them...

...  Cheetahs are known as the FASTEST-moving land animal (able to run up to like 70 mph).  But, they have no real “STAMINA”, only able to keep that speed up for like 30 seconds, after which they’re pretty exhausted...  So, Sita has to move quickly when she’s trying to get small antelopes or the like as food for her & her cubs...

...  Like most animal mothers, Sita is very protective of her offspring.  Altho she’s only like 1/5^th the size of a lion, she’s seen “STANDING-UP” to the Kali group of lions (& also to a group of 3 male cheetah brothers traveling together), working to lead them all AWAY from her cubs... 

...  HYENAS tend to look like members of the dog (canine) family)--  but they’re actually in the CAT (feline) group.  Like lions, they tend to attack in “packs”, & we’re shown some confrontations as a group of them try to assault SITA...

...  At one stage, even an ELEPHANT gets involved in keeping attacking animals away from her.  But, although it’s not “shown”, 2 of Sita’s 5 cubs are captured and destroyed by a marauding hyena group...

...  The film goes back and forth between the main cat groups it’s covering...  In the midst of it, we’re also introduced to OTHER animals in the area--  giraffes, ostriches, secretary birds and buzzards, rhinos, hippos, etc...  We’re even shown lions risking a battle with some crocodiles in the river...

...  Since LAYLA is growing weaker & weaker, she tries to “ingratiate” herself more with her pride, concentrating on one of her biological “sisters” in the group, hoping that increased “acceptance” would help her cub MARA be accepted and helped out by the others.  (It’s not explained why that hadn’t happened BEFORE, since lots of OTHER cubs travel with and are considered “part” the pride)...  

  

...  The film covers the trials and tribulations encountered by the main “characters”, including Sita trying to get more food on the SOUTH side of the now-lowered river, and north-side KALI working to have his 3 OTHER sons come over to the south side to try to take over “FANG’S” pride.  When Kali succeeds, his group drives off the young male cubs of the pride (wanting his OWN family in “control” there)..

...  It’s a FASCINATING and very WELL-done filming of the “ways of the wild” in animal groups...  Even the CREDITS are cleverly handled, with little “snippets” showing funny listings such as how the “giraffes” were in “charge” of “CRANE”-operator work in filming, how the “buzzards” handled “carrion luggage”, the “secretary bird” handled the “SCRIPT” work, etc...

...  Because of the finely-filmed educational offering, I’m rating it as 8.5 out of 10 stars...

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