Cracking the Koala Code Blu-ray offers solid video and audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
Follow individual koalas from a small social group on an Australian island to learn just how a koala manages to survive and thrive on a diet poisonous to almost all other herbivorous mammals.
Like most people, I had a general appreciation for the daily existence of a koala, imagining the creature hanging out in tall trees, gobbling down leaves, while Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" plays on an imaginary soundtrack. It's a simplified portrait of the koala, but there's not much out there in the sea of popular culture to disturb the stereotype, finding the furry animals often depicted with cartoonish cuteness and lethargy, establishing an instant comfort with the koala nation. "Cracking the Koala Code" is a "Nature" episode directly dealing with territorial and mating rituals of the creatures, and boy howdy, does it ever alter the public's concept of the koala as a peaceful, adorable beast with a harmless addiction to greenery. While tastefully assembled by the producers, the documentary inadvertently smashes the notion of koalas as doe-eyed pacifists, detailing how the marsupial is actually quite aggressive when threatened, often engaging in battles of dominance, while female koalas are often targeted for mating by numerous males, making incidents of rejections a chilling screaming and biting match with unrelenting suitors. "Cracking the Koala Code" is quite the eye-opener, especially for anyone who's enjoyed this peaceful image of the creature throughout the years. It's like discovering Santa's been carrying a switchblade in his boot since the dawn of Christmas.
Deep in the heart of Brisbane, Australia, the koala population has seen its vast forest habitat wiped away while humans expand suburbia. A land of over two million people, Brisbane is home to an enormous eucalypt forest, the preferred feeding ground for the koala, keeping the tree-climbing beasts busy as they bustle to locate new territories, establishing colonies on the edge of town. A few koalas even venture into crowded neighborhoods, creating a particularly troubling collision of nature and man-made development, with over 1/3 of the population killed by cars while crossing streets or, in a rare occasion, freeways. Struggling to find a comfortable place untouched by humans while dealing with the demands of colony life and its difficulties with outsiders, the koalas have followed their instinct into urban backyards, leaving biologists and scientists scrambling to figure out a manner of safe passage for the beasts to preserve their numbers (they are a protected species after all) and maintain their territory. It's not an easy task, with so many male koalas assuming a nomadic lifestyle, yet a dedicated few have accepted the challenge, using tracking collars, sound tests, and medical check-ups to comprehend koala habits and instincts, using the data to help ease marsupial travel and colony overcrowding.
As expected, "Cracking the Koala Code" remains focused on the stars of the show, with director Paul Scott and narrator Bettina Dalton keeping tabs on Mary, a female koala raising Bruce, a curious joey just getting used to life outside of his mother's pouch. Studying the feeding requirements of the koalas, we learn about the need for eucalyptus leaves, a complex source of nutrition that takes the average koala four days to digest. Because Bruce is so little, still using Mary for milk, he has to feed on her feces to build up his strength, devouring a critical enzyme in the green mess. It's not exactly a pleasant visual, yet serves an important function of growth. The documentary also covers the ritual of leaf consumption, which takes up a relatively small five hours of koala concentration, while the rest of day is devoted to sleeping and resting on their padded bottoms, watching the world go about its business on the ground. It doesn't sound like a particularly taxing life, but there's so much more to the world of koalas beyond naps and eternal munching.
Introducing Griffith University biologists Cathryn Dexter and David Black, "Cracking the Koala Code" turns to the tracking process, where the pair manage to sedate a few subjects, inspecting bodies for health concerns before sending the creatures back into the wild with radio collars snapped around their necks. The data is necessary to understand where the koalas go during the day, especially with deforestation making stable habitats impossible to secure, resulting in overcrowding, which leads to dangerous practices of inbreeding. In fact, koala mating rituals are an enormous part of the documentary, displaying protective alpha males lording over their colonies, defending the females from outside interests. Of course, once a male koala gets a shot at sex, they aren't easily deterred, with Scott including numerous scenes of fighting and intimidation tactics, including a guttural bellow the alphas employ to warn approaching koalas that serious business awaits their next move. And when all else fails, it seems female koalas are capable of producing gelatinous plugs that glue their genital tracts together, preserving the intended male's sperm donation.
If that doesn't alter your perception of the koala, it appears the colonies have seen a rise in cases of Chlamydia, with the creatures unknowingly passing the sexually transmitted disease around. Left untreated, koalas are rendered blind, urging scientists to work on a cure to help save the population from this unexpected menace.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't quite possess the full-bodied viewing experience an HD documentary should provide, with the limitations of the Australian-shot cinematography revealing itself in slightly blurred movement. Stable shots contain a satisfactory amount of fine detail, useful for studying the koalas during moments of feeding and fighting, also providing an appreciation for fur and open scent patches found on the chest of males. Forest greens and browns are preserved, along with the bright hues of suburban houses and passing cars. Human clothing also carries compelling color. Shadow detail is acceptable, keeping dense fur in view, also holding detail in evening encounters.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix retains a basic design, with a deep frontal position for Dalton's narration, which keeps fresh and crisp, never losing its dominant place. Scoring is supportive, feeling out the surrounds with a mild push of circular movement, though the music isn't nearly as forceful as it should be, keeping at a slightly lower volume to avoid stepping on the animal activities. Koala noises are distinct and communicative, while atmospherics never quite expand as hoped for, yet retain their natural presence, contrasted with the mechanized rumble of human activity. Low-end is non-existent.
Time with University of Queensland residents Dr. Bill Ellis and Sean Fitzgibbon is also included in "Cracking the Koala Code," studying creature responses to sounds and environment. The effort concludes with a summation of koala movement, sharing tracking records (sold with helpful animation) that detail the fierce territorial nature of the marsupials and their growing bravery around man, finding one male managing to cross a freeway without getting hurt. True to its title, 'Cracking the Koala Code" does indeed reveal an undiscovered side to the animals, highlighting their skills of adjustment to new environmental challenges, trying to keep their distance from humans to the best of their ability. However, the larger reveals in the documentary are pulled from basic behavioral information, creating an enlightening study of the koala for anyone who's been underestimating the creature. Despite an appearance that radiates geniality, the koalas are quite the opposite of welcoming, born with an innate drive of protection and survival that makes for a mesmerizing viewing experience.
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