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The Meerkats (2008)
Everyone loves meerkats – the cute mongoose, kitten and
teddy bear-esque creatures who adorably stand on their hind legs and
swivel their heads curiously. Relying heavily on their inherent
cuteness, James Honeyborne’s film is ostensibly a documentary about a
family of meerkats living in the Kalahari desert in Africa. Instead of
relying on a traditional on-screen narrator, this brisk 80 minute film
is shot and edited like a Hollywood-narrative production, with
point-of-view shots and exciting action – it’s more Richard Donner than
David Attenborough.
Our hero is Kolo, a young meerkat who has many lessons to learn about
survival in the harsh desert environment. Taking lessons in scouting and
hunting from his older brother, they encounter predator and prey, big
and small, from lions, zebras and deadly eagles to snakes, scorpions and
giant millipedes. By observing the animals over a six-month period,
director Honeyborne has managed to edit together a narrative, glued
together by the voice-over narration of Paul Newman. Though some of the
suspense scenes involving multiple attacks simultaneously seem to have
been created in the editing room (and a disclaimer in the credits admits
as much), it’s remarkable how cohesive it is given the lack of
communication between the director and his cast.
It’s beautifully shot and some of the footage – especially that
underground – is a wonder but it doesn’t stand out in comparison to what
can be seen in many BBC documentaries. The visuals are nicely
accompanied by the score by Sarah Class which is a pleasant and
inoffensive mix of pseudo-African rhythms and traditional strings. The
DVD offers the choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 but no
special features.
Ultimately The Meerkats is a little too cute for its own good, too
intent on turning everything into a little storytelling drama. Sometimes
it feels more like The Adventures of Milo & Otis rather than Life of
Mammals, only minus the drowning of two dozen little cats. |
