Bears (2014)

My gosh. I never reviewed a nature documentary on this blog before. The only one I recall watching after 2007 was obscure and in Spanish, so I opted out of writing about it. Yet I usually enjoy the subgenre when I give it a chance. Maybe I should stock up.

Speaking of stocking up, that's largely the focus herein. A brown bear, whom the makers dub Sky, takes her two new cubs on a long trek across Alaskan wilderness to find enough food to get them all through hibernation. Obstacles include an avalanche, a flood, a tenaciously prowling wolf, and even adult male brown bears who don't have a code against cannibalism. Can the whole family beat 50% odds?

The theme of summer survival in a cold land got me thinking of March of the Penguins, but this is more personal than a nameless flock. The narration by John C. Reilly points out behavioral differences among individuals, such as when cub Amber clings to Sky while cub Scout (oh, now I get it) tries to be independent. Attempts to humanize them often veer toward humor, despite the inherent pathos of the overall plot.

As documentaries go, it's barely educational. Well, maybe not to the target audience. Offhand, I can't name another live-action G-rated flick of the 2010s, so it might well be aimed at early elementary schoolers. It certainly doesn't take a didactic tone with lessons in terminology or statistics. I figure Disneynature is more interested in storytelling, however simple, for 77 minutes.

To some extent, I appreciate that. Docs tend to risk getting either dry or controversial. This one doesn't even bring up climate change or any other environmental concerns attributed to human activity. As far as the audience is concerned, our shaggy heroes live in a humanless world. Only during the end credits do we see the videographers.

Probably the most admirable aspect is the cinematography. Everything looks so crisp, fluid, and well-framed. They made extensive use of the zoom lens, and I'm still at a loss for how they managed the opening den scene without provoking mama bear wrath.

I may check out higher-rated fare from Disneynature. If this example is any indication, I won't learn much, but it'll be pretty sweet.