The Last Lions
National Geographic Entertainment | Release Date: February 18, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 26, 2011
A great way to go on a safari without ever leaving the multiplex. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 17, 2011
A worthy, intensive labor of love that took years to shoot and edit, and it's also more gripping than a lot of recent Hollywood thrillers. Read full review
80
Village VoiceNicolas RapoldFeb 15, 2011
Though floridly written and relentlessly scored, the film's dramas are more persuasively framed than many human ones, going so far as to include multiple flashbacks. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreMar 30, 2011
It's a vivid, blunt and candid look at their kill-or-be-killed existence, which Joubert writes and Irons narrates is "the eternal dance of Africa." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubMar 3, 2011
It's all very melodramatic, but the Jouberts accompany this story with incredible visuals, with an exceptional level of access. Considering how close they get to the animals, it's a wonder none of the filmmakers got mauled. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 3, 2011
The film is an astonishing visual experience and at times almost profoundly suspenseful. Read full review
75
Washington PostStephanie MerryFeb 17, 2011
The result is a movie that may be geared to a nature film fan base but will also appeal to admirers of good storytelling. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumFeb 16, 2011
The footage, by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, is stunning. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranFeb 17, 2011
Mightily impressive to look at. What it's like to listen to is somewhat different. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMar 17, 2011
This nature documentary about the vanishing lions of Africa is not your children's "Lion King." Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsMar 11, 2011
Director Dereck Joubert gleans a valuable thread that connects us to these endangered creatures. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazinePam GradyFeb 18, 2011
While the anthropomorphism Joubert employs to tell the lions' story may strike some as cloying, ultimately that doesn't distract from this tale of survival in an inhospitable environment. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFeb 18, 2011
Riveting, especially since these animals' population has horrifyingly dropped from 450,000 to 20,000 in a half-century. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 17, 2011
One's confidence in factuality is weakened by a cliché-ridden narrative that reads Ma di Tau's mind during her buffalo hunt, and by incessant manipulation of the imagery-not only the use and abuse of slo-mo, but digital enhancement of colors in concert with an almost obsessive concentration on stalking and killing. Read full review
60
Time OutNick SchagerFeb 15, 2011
Overflowing with super-slow motion, color filters and the clunkiest of flashbacks, The Last Lions frequently amplifies the melodrama to borderline-excessive proportions. Read full review
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