By now, you are probably tired of the countless nature documentaries you’ve seen, as most of them follow the same pattern: man is bad, man has damaged, man kills animals, and the planet is dying. What’s curious is that, while we’ve been told the same story several times, we still fail to react. But what’s important is that the reaction may be in support of the offshoot causes that seem like they can help stop the disease from spreading like fire.
Escape from Extinction Rewilding is one of those documentaries. Poignant and relevant as all of them should be. Hollywood star Meryl Streep narrates the story and provides authenticity to a documentary that doesn’t really need her in order to transmit its powerful message of healing, redemption, and effect. Unlike other films of this nature, Escape from Extinction Rewilding is an eye-opener to the possibility of saving animals from extinction.
The film directed by Matthew R. Brady, is a sequel to his own Escape from Extinction, only this time, he goes for a non-conventional path and expands on the controversial idea of rewilding. Rewilding is the technique created by wildlife experts that consists of restoring entire ecosystems to something that can resemble a natural habitat for animals, emulating the place they should have always stayed in.
Brady uses real footage and testimonies to address the initial message: we have to do something. Otherwise, we’ll face horrific consequences that, in the end, will end the lives of some species on Earth. When Brady goes on to explain “rewilding” as a concept, the documentary loses some steam in explaining what some would consider too risky. However, the message arrives, and that’s what’s important about the venture of making such a documentary.
These kinds of films don’t always awaken the attention of young viewers, but Escape from Extinction Rewilding is interesting and informative enough to comply with this golden rule in terms of awareness. It should matter and children should be interested in this. Brady’s adaptation of his idea to the big screen has the balance required to introduce a tragedy that can be stopped if only we, as a collective, decide to act quickly and support that which needs support. Yes, even if it’s by watching and celebrating a film that appears to be the same but takes a jump towards the radical side of advocacy and activism: thinking outside the box.
Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.
