Jason C
Reviewer

      Despite breathtaking cinematography and superb direction, “Winged Migration” cannot fly over its inherent flaw: if you aren't passionate about birds, you're going to find the film dull and overlong. Visual magnificence and daring cinematography can make a poorly plotted film much better, but “Winged Migration” proves that much more is needed than just spectacular sights.
 
      Nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar in 2002 (and predicted by many awards analysts to beat “Bowling for Columbine” because of Michael Moore's extreme political beliefs), “Winged Migration” comes with a great deal of expectation. www.rottentomatoes.com paneled reviewers across the country and a full 100 percent of professional critics that are considered the "cream of the crop" gave the film a positive review. More than 98 percent of all critics nationwide praised the film.
 
      But while many critics praised “Winged Migration” for its realism and nonpolitical stance, it shares many of the faults attributed solely to Moore. Both films are just as heavy handed, manipulating audiences into a particular way of thinking. But while Moore manipulated viewers into hating Charlton Heston and the N.R.A., director Jacques Perrin manipulates viewers into oohing and aahing like innocent children at the zoo, seeing birds for the first time.
 
      Although the film trails thousands of birds in breathtaking documentary style from Africa to the Arctic, it never seems to get off the ground. This isn't to say the filmmakers deserve no credit. Perrin created special cameras and trained the birds to not be afraid of the film crew in order to obtain what could be the most spectacular airborne visuals ever captured on film.
 
      The camera allows viewers to be birds themselves, flying over stunning landmarks and joining the adventure through the twists and turns migration provides. This will stun viewers into quiet submission as they relish in the sights. But after an hour of the same old thing, it feels overlong like a nature documentary children are forced to watch so they stop ripping the wings off flies and learn to respect animals and nature.
 
      That isn't to say the birds face a boring flight. Filled with more natural disasters than a James Bond film, the birds must escape two avalanches (one against the Great Wall of China), hunters, nets lying in ponds and a family of crabs intent on ripping an injured bird as it stumbles around on desert sand.
 
      Successful documentaries are either meant to inform or to draw viewers into a new situation so they can better understand it. “Winged Migration” fails to do either. With little more than the name of each species and how many miles they fly during migration, “Winged Migration” proves to be less informative than 20 minutes of watching Animal Planet.
 
      And as for drawing viewers into the birds' world, bird lovers will be mesmerized by the film. But those who aren't passionate about bird watching will lie in waiting for the next avalanche or hunter, hoping for action to accentuate this haunting but horribly repetitive film.