Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88635 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-04-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 39 minutes

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, informative film
"Bears" takes the viewer into the wilds of many areas of the world to get up-close views of these majestic animals. Like most IMAX films, there is a (fairly seamless) mix of both wild and captive animals; the captive animals are used to get shots that would simply be impossible or unsafe to obtain using wild animals in their habitats. The "making of" featurette very clearly explains this process, and it works well in most IMAX films. There were a few times when it was apparent that the black bears being used were "performing," but it was not a huge distraction from the film.

The movie is filmed in beautiful locations, really showcasing the bears' adaptation to their environments, and making crystal clear what an important part they are of the natural world. The viewer is educated on bear behavior, bear/human interaction, habitat conservation, bear awareness and safety precautions, and many other issues, all the while treating our eyes to spectacular views captured with the IMAX camera, which is unparalleled.

A great movie, highly recommended.

Surprisingly gorgeous and high quality
I got this DVD on a sale where it was marked down to about $5.00. I didn't expect it to be high quality. I was pleasantly surprised. I've watched wildlife films and read wildlife pubs for nearly 40 years and rarely have I seen such beautiful cinematography. One reviewer panned this film and it was an unwarranted critique in my view. There was plenty of information, eye-popping photography, and no preachy tone. If I'd have paid $30, I would have felt it was well-spent.

Whenever I hear someone complain about a nature/wildlife film being too preachy, it makes me wonder if they're not fans of nature to begin with or if they're hunters. One cannot praise or preach enough about the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it. This film merely informs and captures the majestic beauty of a species and its territory.

Overvalued
Generally good photography is marred by unfocused editing -- as if the editors believed viewers have a very short attention span. Voice over is overly preachy and political. They should have focused on Bears, their habitat, habits, and behavior and left out the political preaching. Turn off the audio and enjoy, but there are better videos to be had. Look elsewhere first.

Note: Much of the footage was done with trained bears but portrayed as if it was wild nature captured on film. This sort of "nature" film technique went out of style with the scandals of the early Disney nature films. Too bad it had to resurface here.