I went to see the film last week and I'm another one who enjoyed it. Admittedly, I went along with low expectations. Those who have been put off by the trailer should note that it doesn't represent the film well at all. The trailer suggests that the film is only loosely based on the book, but I found that it actually followed the book more closely than I was expecting.
It is certainly far from the funniest film I have ever seen, but I found myself sniggering quite frequently; a lot of the jokes are based on birders' humour, and some of the humour is quite dry, so it doesn't surprise me to find that many critics have been slating the lack of laughs. Having now looked back at a few mainstream reviews of the film, it is apparent to me that many critics were expecting such a comedy about birders to be a freak show of odd-ball characters. Hasn't that formula been done to death? Certainly not what I wanted to see anyway.
In the event, the story is told from a birder's point of view, and all three main stars take their roles seriously, although their acting skills are clearly not tested. Nevertheless, they do a pretty good job of playing birders who are trying to defend and explain their obsession to their families, friends and colleagues.
A nice aspect to the film is that short sections are dedicated to recounting bird life histories. For example, the migration strategies of Sooty Shearwaters and American Golden Plovers, as well as Bald Eagle courtship displays. Whether these are completely accurate or not, I predict that more people will leave each showing interested in birds than went in. It is especially touching when Jack Black's character explains to his father why his favourite bird is the AGP, and in doing this he manages to capture the awe and mystery of migration. The film shows how relationships can be destroyed by such an obsession, but it also shows how sceptics can find themselves being drawn into the hobby.
There are of course a few ornithological inaccuracies, but I found them tolerable, and I was surprised at how much they got right. A surprising number of the birds you see are real, and the inevitable intermingling of film and natural history footage, which could have looked terrible, is done well thanks to some adept editing. The CGI of gulls on Attu looked awful of course, but early in the film there is a beautiful slow motion CGI rendition of a Xantus's Hummingbird (if I remember correctly) hovering in the rain, which will surely draw in many non-birders. The CGI of a Great Spotted Woodpecker later on does have unnatural movements, but I thought it still had an impressive realism to it.
This film could have been done quite a lot better, but I still encourage others to go and see it at the cinema this week, as there’s some bird photography and some landscape shots that will look best on the big screen. Having said that, it might be best to go on your local cinema's bargain day, just in case you are disappointed.
DL
