Movie Review For Chimpanzee

Posted by Charmaine Blake on Apr 25th, 2012 in Documentary | 0 comments

Movie Review For Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee is a documentary film created by Disneynature which coincides with this year’s Earth Day came to theaters last April 20th 2012. In this documentary film we are introduced to Oscar, a baby chimpanzee whose curiosity and playfulness brings a new light in the African forest. Until one day where Oscar finds himself in a situation where he must fend for himself. Although in harm’s way, Oscar will find an ally that he does not expect. Chimpanzee is directed by Alastair Fothergill , Mark Linfield. Here is a movie review for the newest documentary addition to Disneynature: Chimpanzee

“Chimpanzee: A Simply Irresistible Documentary

Chimpanzee, the latest Disney nature film, might as well be called “Simply Irresistible,” because thanks to the mischievous monkeyshines of a baby chimp named Oscar, it comes pretty close.

This is the most storified yet of Disney’s True Life Adventure family films, which began with the release of “Earth” in 2009, and was followed by “Oceans” in 2010 and last year’s”African Cats.”Classified as documentary, “Chimpanzee” feels more feature filmy as it follows a band of about 30 chimps, with tiny Oscar the breakout star. His mother, Isha, unintentionally falls into the tragic heroine role, with the band’s Alpha leader, Freddy, stepping up as a sentimental hero who must fend off a villain named Scar (the leader of a rival band of chimps).

Co-directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, who also collaborated on “Earth,” and cinematographer Martyn Colbeck (“Nature,” “Planet Earth”) spent much of 2008 in the very wet and wild Tai Forest of Africa’s Ivory Coast to capture the exquisite footage of animals in their native environment. The jungle becomes a character in its own right, with the time-lapse photography of spider webs being woven and flowers blooming adding another layer to the sheer beauty of the film.

Apes have long held a fascination for humans because of their very humanness — the expressive eyes, those opposable thumbs, the playful personalities, their innate curiosity, the easy affection — and the chimps are natural hams. The filmmakers lean heavily on that appeal, letting the camera linger as young chimps tumble in play, swing through trees and shriek with delight while their elders look on in amusement. The close-ups are remarkable for the emotions captured, never more so than when Isha feeds, grooms and cuddles her little one.

As in the rest of the animal kingdom, life for the chimps is about the fundamentals of survival — food, shelter, safety and progeny — and the basics of berry gathering, nut pounding, tree climbing and social networking shape the story. Oscar is a rambunctious toddler as the film opens. Much of his time is spent with mom learning the finer points of the food chain. Breaking open the nuts turns out to be a highly developed skill that starts with choosing the right rock and pounding with precision. It’s also tailor-made for comedy with Oscar’s hit-and-miss attempts delivering some of the films most entertaining moments, though his mastery of trying ants on a stick comes close.”

Read the rest of the review at Los Angeles Times

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Charmaine Blake loves movies, musical theater listening to music and taking pictures of anything that she finds interesting. She is a voracious reader and writer, and enjoys her time writing for New Movie Launches. Charmaine loves spending time with her pets and currently has a Siberian Husky, a toy poodle and a cat.