Kenya Animal KingdomJean-Jacques Mantello directs this throwback to the days of TV’s “Wild Kingdom” in a way the old Mutual of Omaha folks could never deliver. Mantello’s cameras get right up in the business of a veritable roll call of nature’s biggest and best: rhinos, hippos, elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and vipers, oh my, just to name a few. The closeup 3D photography is what makes this film different than others you may have seen, especially in the IMAX format. There’s no plot really, the vehicle for moving the action along is an extended walk about with two Maasai men in full tribal colors. They observe the best Kenya’s wild has to offer, and we finally see an actual ceremony of the tribe celebrating the wonders of nature. Fair warning: this movie includes “survival of the fittest” scenes of carnivores in action, so the youngest of children may be upset. One quibble is about the narration, I wish the filmmaker had budgeted for some dulcet tones from someone like Jeremy Irons rather than the dull narration that accompanies the film.

My GPA: 3.0

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