One movie critic said it best when he wrote the following about Winged Migration: "Possibly the most astonishing documentary about bird migration ever made." I am certainly in agreement. But who the hell cares about bird migration documentaries, anyways? If you haven't figured it out yet, Winged Migration is about birds and their yearly migrations. The cinematography is magnificent, as evidenced by the Academy Award nomination that the film received. Perrin does a remarkable job capturing the birds' journeys in the air and on the ground, using innovative techniques and cameras. At times, it almost feels as though you're a part of the flock flapping your wings all the way down South.
Unfortunately, that's where the fun ends. Though Migration has its dramatic moments -- such as when a poor duck wanders from his family and gets left behind -- it gets boring pretty quickly. After a while, every bird and every journey begins to look the same, and the film becomes an extended National Geographic special. The Yanni-esque music and sparse narration (there are less than two minutes of it in the 85-minute film) certainly doesn't help. Though visually breathtaking, Winged Migration is probably left best for members of the National Audubon Society.
