Relentless Enemies Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
It is a spectacle few have seen firsthand. Two foes trapped on an island in a remote part of Africa - and a battle to survive captured in high-definition over two years by award-winning filmmakers. Now, National Geographic takes viewers onto a unique battlefield in the Okavango Delta to witness the grueling fight for survival of highly specialized lions that prey almost exclusively on buffalo in Relentless Enemies.
For several decades now, documentaries on large African fauna have been an educational staple, chiefly for the little square boxes of television sets. The BBC, PBS, the Discovery network - just a few entities among many who have tackled the subject of the continent's well-known predators. The African Lion is undoubtedly the most thoroughly filmed cat of any; their social behavior, hunting techniques, and relationship to man and beast have been exhaustively covered on camera in the last forty-odd years.
One wonders, then, how these sandy-colored felines can continue to fascinate, as new lion-centric productions pop up at a fairly consistent pace. The answer lies in the fact that lions are incredibly versatile creatures. Ranging throughout many varied habitats across the whole of Africa, they have adapted to the demands of their local environments for thousands of years. Clearly, these critters have honed a viable strategy for survival. As a species, they have been enormously successful - and they continue to evolve to this day.
The mythically-proportioned Tsaro lionesses.
Relentless Enemies, a National Geographic production aired in 2006, shows just how adaptable these carnivores can be. The 90-minute documentary focuses on three prides in the wetlands of the Okavango Delta who prey exclusively on a herd of Cape Buffalo. Of the many ungulate species that lions have been known to hunt, buffalo are certainly one of the most dangerous. Over five feet tall at the shoulder, weighing an average of 1500 pounds, and equipped with heavy hooves and a wicked set of curved horns, buffalo are a force to be reckoned with. But having evolved as specialists, the "swamp cats" are more than adept at taking on these huge animals.
The documentary, filmed over 2 years with high definition cameras, plays out with a bit of a dramatic flavor to it. A cast of characters is introduced at the onset; the minor Skimmer and Pantry prides, as well as the the main subject of focus - the Tsaros. Burly and impressively built, several of the nine Tsaro lionesses are dubbed with informal nicknames based on physical characteristics. The lead female Silver Eye, bearing a cataract injury on her right, the stolid Skew Ear, the maternal Twins, the enigmatic old Loner. These cats are distinctly different from their savannah relatives; the constant wading and swimming, steady diet of buffalo flesh, and perhaps even a more rugged genetic trait have given them thick necks, heavy chests, and powerful forelimbs. Injuries pose a more lethal threat in this wet and pathogen-filled environment, where even superficial wounds can remain raw and exposed, furthering a chance of infection and death. It is certainly a harsh world to survive in, but this strain of lions have become surprisingly hardy.
The spectacle is established with the introduction of the buffalo herd, lead by the elder Skew Horn. Isolated on this marshy island by deep, fast-flowing rivers on the top and sides, the herd is under constant predation by the swamp cat prides. Narrated by Jeremy Irons - well-known for his role as the ruthless character of Scar - the man's smoky, mellifluous voice gives a surreal Lion King-like bent to the unfolding drama. The writing is at times eloquent and pleasant to listen to, but isn't without its fair share of pedantic, philosophical tendencies and redundant use of vocabulary. I swear the word "relentless" was used at least four times during the playback.
Though 90 minutes may seem a long runtime for a documentary with such a singular focus, the story and the spectacle are truly engrossing. There is something so captivating and visceral about lions on the hunt, witnessing their collective struggle to fell an adult bull, for example. Territorial spats with the other prides also prove to be intense, as well as the heart-rending mystery of cub mortality within the Tsaro family. The result is a film with a far more intimate focus than most nature documentaries, and it makes for a fascinating viewer experience. Relentless Enemies is made all the better with its high definition presentation; something that is still fairly novel amongst wildlife films.
Relentless Enemies is encoded in VC-1, averaging around 15 Mbps. Overall, the picture is quite grand, but not consistent. Probably owing to the unpredictable nature of filming wildlife documentaries - and the cameras, distances, and variant weather therein - some sequences are very sharp and film-like, with a decent amount of grain and fine detail preserved. Other parts tend to look a tad too soft, and I noticed a slight amount of posterization on the light reflections off the vast Okavango watershed. However, given the amount of water splashes and fast action in this film, macroblocking was relievedly absent. Being a Warner "smoothie" title, one can't help but wonder just how much better this release could look, given an adequate mastering and a higher bitrate.
Overall, the documentary is quite nicely captured to film, and makes great high definition fodder. Despite its minor fallbacks, the picture quality really is quite stellar, and is the first opportunity to see a dedicated lion documentary as it has never been seen before.
On the audio front, the sole option offered on this Blu-ray is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Given the rich variety of ambient effects in this film, it's a shame to see it relegated to a lossy legacy codec. The mix itself leaves something to be desired; far too much emphasis is placed on the center channel. Irons' narration, understandably, is through the center speaker alone... but so are much of the animal vocalizations and ambient noise. The majority of the lion growls and roars, the lowing of the buffalo, water splashes, chirping birds - all from the center. Muting the latter reveals little mixed into the other 5 speakers; some ambiance and sparingly used musical score, mostly. A touch of LFE is present for, say, the stampeding buffalo herd - but even that is rather soft and subtly mixed. Overall, the audio is uneven and distracting during playback, with far too much leaning front and center to really "immerse" the viewer into the leonine experience. In this reviewer's opinion, the center channel should have been reserved primarily for Irons' voice. Were the mix a bit improved, a lossless track would have been a welcome addition to this title, as well.
The Relentless Enemies Blu-ray release comes lightly packed, and though it's not a surprise, it's still slightly disappointing. It would have been nicely informative to have a featurette with the filmmakers - shedding some light on the two year filming process and reflecting on the subject matter they so diligently captured. One would suppose it's really the same as any wildlife filming, though; sit around for agonizing stretches of time with the cameras poised and hope something interesting happens. The results, of course, are spoiled audiences with incredibly skewed perceptions of the natural world, but I digress!
The most significant extra feature included on this release is Cheetah Chase - a 26-minute special originally aired in 1999 which follows photographer Chris Johns and his colleague Dave Hamman into the Botswana bush to track down and shoot stunning imagery of wild cheetahs. Though a marginally entertaining diversion, it's a mystery as to why this particular National Geographic production was included on this disc. Presented in 4x3, 480p standard definition, the feature really isn't much to look at, either.
The only other material that could constitute "extra features" would be the handful of trailers and tv spots for various National Geographic productions and services. Commercials touting the wonder of the NG cable channel or the online content are an outright bore. Promos for other big cat related titles Eternal Enemies (this time about lions and hyenas), The Eye of the Leopard (also narrated by Irons), and In Search of the Jaguar look somewhat intriguing, at least. All are 4x3, standard definition 480p, so unfortunately a title like Leopard, which was filmed in high definition, is unable to show its stuff.
It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the ubiquitous African Lion documentary would find its way to Blu-ray at a fairly rapid pace. What is refreshing about Relentless Enemies, however, is the film's portrait of a unique group of specimens carving out a specialized niche, and all the benefits and fallbacks it brings them. The Tsaro lionesses are quite a sight to behold, and they seem truly prehistoric - a hark back to the days of mammalian megafauna not so long ago. The narration is generally well-written, superbly delivered by Jeremy Irons, and the camerawork is spectacular.
Anyone looking to increase their catalogue of compelling and well-produced documentaries on Blu-ray should definitely consider Relentless Enemies. Substantial, eye-opening content that has been gorgeously shot and brilliantly captured in high definition. A recommended release for anyone with an interest in wildlife and ecology... or just some pretty African landscapes! ;)
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