Africa's Elephant Kingdom


Africa's Elephant Kingdom is a cool IMAX film that showcases how elephants live their lives in the wilds of Kenya.

The elephant is generally a peaceful and serene animal and that is reflected extremely well in this movie. We get a glimpse of the elephants' life cycle, from a playful little bull, to an anxious matriarch when the rains don't come and the clans have to struggle for food, to the mating seasons where the males compete with one another, and to the solitary life the old bulls lead before their existence is ended. Kenya is a beautiful country and that is also showcased well in the film.

Parts of the film where the elephants rush to attack the camera are a bit startling. Some of the more panoramic shots are breathtaking but may induce a feeling akin to motion sickness.

The narration by Avery Brooks (who plays Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek) is decent. The accompanying sound track is a bit distracting and annoying. I would rather hear the sounds of nature in its raw unadulterated form instead of a sound track with human musicians (ethnic or otherwise) trying to (unsuccessfully) create some sort of an expression for the events that we are seeing.

Definitely a great IMAX experience and worth checking out.


Movie ram-blings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org