Island of Lemurs: Madagascar (2014)

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso

The Island of Lemurs: Madagascar is, as an animal lover, one of the sweetest and saddest documentaries I've seen in sometime, with gorgeous visuals and an un-patronizing intellect it is the perfect choice for a first foray into the nature documentary.

For those of you who aren’t particularly interesting in conservation or the environment then it’s unlikely that you know much about lemurs or the beautiful and exotic island of Madagascar – bar the brilliant family animation that is – for those of us who do then it was really only a matter of time before these amazing creatures got their own feature film; and if the images, narration and overall experience of the film were not enough the fact that it raises awareness about the dangerous of logging and the threat to these endangered animals marks Island of Lemurs: Madagascar as a wonderful, enlightening and interesting documentary well worth watching.

Depicting the experience of Patricia C. Wright, professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University, New York, as she ventures into the jungle in search of these adorable little critters Island of Lemurs was originally released in IMAX 3D; giving these already stunning images an even more impressive depth to those in the audience. For those stuck watching at home however the visual pleasure of the documentary remains incredibly high, watched either on blu-ray or on an HD 3D TV the film maintains the exotic atmosphere of the jungle in which it was filmed.

With a number of shocking and upsetting statistics on offer, including the fact that, since mankind first inhabited this unique island, the only natural habitat for some of these species, the indigenous rainforest has decreased by 90%; taking with it not only the homes but feeding grounds of these rare creatures.

With their big, beautiful eyes each and every lemur that we come across in our journey across Madagascar is bound to catch the heart of any viewer, but couple this with the sad and moving stories of rescue missions, habitat resurrection and community education and it is no wonder that Island of Lemurs: Madagascar has been voted one of the best documentaries of the year.