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Bears

Bears (2014)

April. 18,2014
|
7.3
|
G
| Documentary

Filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey chronicle a year in the lives of an Alaskan brown bear named Sky and her cubs, Scout and Amber. Their saga begins as the bears emerge from hibernation at the end of winter. As time passes, the bear family must work together to find food and stay safe from other predators, especially other bears. Although their world is exciting, it is also risky, and the cubs' survival hinges on family togetherness.

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GazerRise
2014/04/18

Fantastic!

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PiraBit
2014/04/19

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

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Kaelan Mccaffrey
2014/04/20

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

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Fleur
2014/04/21

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

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Scott LeBrun
2014/04/22

"Bears" is one of a series of documentaries produced by Disney's "Disney Nature" division, and this one focuses on a mother bear and her two cubs, following them over the course of a few seasons. It begins as they awaken from winter hibernation, and watches as the mother tries to protect her offspring and show them how to obtain food, which sometimes looks to be in short supply. There are also dangers to overcome, such as the threats posed by bigger and meaner bears, a rogue wolf, and nature itself.Overall, a good if not great film. It's marked by exemplary filmmaking, with top notch photography of many beautiful Alaska locations. It benefits from an engaging cast of animal characters. Although, like so many things aiming for a family audience, it does tend to get awfully precious. This viewer thought that giving the animals character names like "Sky", "Scout", and "Amber" was overly cute, and the film IS manipulative, to be sure, with some overstated music. Actor John C. Reilly recites the narration, and while his recitation is amiable enough, the stuff he has to utter can be incredibly goofy. "Hey, Mom! Wait up!"This viewer would imagine the other Disney Nature documentaries pretty much follow the same formula, although the intentions are certainly admirable. Any film that aims at young viewers and attempts to teach them respect for Mother Nature and the animal kingdom is alright in his book.Seven out of 10.

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romanorum1
2014/04/23

This Disney nature film, narrated by John C. Reilly, is the story of the first year of life in a family of three brown bears. Sky the mother bear previously dug her winter den high in a nearly inaccessible mountain in Alaska (Katmai National Park) and gave birth to her two cubs. Now it is time for her to leave her den and move her offspring down the snow-capped mountains. It is a rather arduous trek for cubs Scout (the adventurous one) and Amber (the more practical one). The trip is exciting but lurks with danger. Snow that sheltered the small family in the winter now becomes a deadly enemy in early spring, especially because of avalanches. And mother soon has to begin feeding to make milk for her young ones. Down at the Alaskan coast the snow has melted and the land is green. At a meadow there are other bears; they eat grass, their salad until they can get their real food: tasty salmon. There is an occasional fish. The dominant bear in the area is the behemoth Magnus, who at one thousand pounds is three times larger than Sky. Then there is the outcast bear Chinook, who was banished from the meadow by Magnus. Sky has to remain alert for these rival bears and even for predators. In the mudflats near the water are some clams. There is peril for the cubs when the tides return, as they can be separated from land. Then there is the clash with Chinook, but the cubs escape. At another spot up the coast there are some salmon. It is now midsummer. The three bears leave the meadow and head for shore. Magnus steals a fish from Chinook. A new danger is the wolf, Tikani, who eyes the cubs but Sky drives him away. Sky still needs to eat large quantities of salmon before summer's end, or else she will not have enough milk stored for the cubs during winter hibernation. When salmon seem to appear in larger numbers, Tinaki tries to grab a cub while Sky gathers fish, but is again repelled. After two weeks the main school of salmon, finally used to fresh water, swim upstream in order to spawn (sometimes a 30-mile trip against current!). In calm, shallow streams the salmon lay their eggs, but Sky still has difficulty in finding enough fish. When the rains come the water rises and the fish can really move. At the Great Falls the salmon finally gather in huge numbers. Then a raven caws, seeming to signal to Sky the whereabouts of the Golden Pond, her destination. At last the bears can finally eat their fill. Even Tinaki the wolf awkwardly learns how to fish and keeps away from the cubs.In the late summer Scout and Amber have new winter coats. With the seasonal changes it is time for the bear family to return to the high country and prepare their dens for the long cold season and hibernation. The closing credits highlight the film crew and the animal stars. This is a Disney nature film, so you know it is a good one for the entire family. And the cinematography is of Disney's distinctive high quality. Enjoy this one!

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Alex Landry
2014/04/24

Great little story that shows the hardships of motherhood in nature. The animals have names and there is a slight narrative thread with some of the recurring bears and other predators.The movie features plenty of beautiful shots of nature be it the breathtaking Alaskan Alps or the beauty and colours of a meadow. You will also see breathtaking sights like the best avalanche ever filmed and some intense bear fights and close calls. There's also an amazing scene with an eagle being a dick to a falcon. The movie also features a slew of different animals like Wolves, Foxes, Ravens, Eagles, Falcons, Rock Eels, etc. The movie does have 2 major flaws. First is John C. Reilly. He never really seems all that into it and almost every attempt at humor falls flat. Also his monotone voice when explaining things gets pretty dull and boring. Secondly a lot of the film seems to be at 0.5 speed. Not slo-mo but very close and most times it's just unneeded and it detract from what's happening.This has been a green review.

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DareDevilKid
2014/04/25

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 4/5 starsDisneynature has brought us some amazing documentaries in the past, including "African Cats" and "Chimpanzee". If there's one thing you can count on from these films, it's that they are absolutely stunning to watch, and their latest project, "Bears", is no exception. Following a year in the life of a brown bear (Sky) and her two cubs (Scout and Amber), we watch as they emerge from their den and go on an incredible journey for food that has them facing such dangers as avalanches, wolves, and even other alpha-male bears. It all comes down to a battle for survival as Sky desperately tries to find enough food to provide for her cubs to carry them through the next hibernation.Narrated by Oscar-nominated actor John C. Reilly, "Bears" is a touching documentary that just goes to show how sometimes films with the simplest themes make for the most engaging experiences. It also manages to get quite tense in places; frequent long-shot vistas of fields and waterways harbor a succession of threats, which are freely milked for suspense.There's not a whole lot of plot to be found here aside from following these bears from spot to spot on their quest for food, and yet, the documentary provides plenty of thrills as they come up against a number of obstacles. From the very start, you can't help but root for them on their difficult journey that has them traveling from the high peaks of the Alaskan peninsula to the shallow streams where salmon mass in great numbers. All the while, we're treated to the gorgeous backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, made all the more amazing by the dazzling cinematography. Disneynature has once again gone above and beyond to bring us this footage, spending two years and braving several precarious moments capturing over 400 hours of it. Whittling that down to just 78 minutes must have been a herculean task, but in the end, it's wonderful to see that it was worth all the hard effort that went into it. An early avalanche sequence and Myriad shots involving a salmon hunt are particularly impressive. "Bears" is a visual experience through and through, one that offers eye-popping delights at every turn.Not without a few contrivances as it caters to younger audiences, "Bears" is nonetheless an earnest, adorable real-life adventure. Despite the bracing beauty of the wilderness, and the respite provided by cubs at play, the film is primarily a sobering treatise on survival, narrated from the perspective of a family of three bears, giving their plight for survival a sense of sincere thematic heft. The only drawback of this visually brilliant, highly engrossing documentary is that it aims to be too kid-friendly at times, and downplays some of the harsher realities of bear life. But that doesn't take away much from what is undoubtedly an entertaining display for nature movie fans, animal lovers, and anybody in general who enjoys a good documentary.With its touching story, beautiful scenery, and stunning camera- work, "Bears" becomes another worthwhile documentary in the Disneynature library. Kids and adults alike will be drawn into the plight of Sky and her cubs as they trek across the Alaskan wilderness in search of nourishment while facing down whatever stands in their way.

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