Movie Review - Grizzly Man

[Jeff Lebowski]

I rented Grizzly Man last week. It is a documentary about a guy named Timothy Treadwell who had a troubled youth but "found himself" through a fascination with grizzlies in Alaska. He spent 13 summers in Alaska on "missions" to protect grizzlies from poachers, hunters, developers, etc. He took lots of video on each of these trips (some of it quite spectacular - including a brutal fight between two male grizzlies) and during the winters he would travel around and promote "grizzly awareness" to school kids.

The main thing that makes this movie fascinating is that after thirteen years of tempting fate, he and his girlfriend get eaten by a male grizzly. As you view the video clips he shot, you could see it coming a mile off. The guy was flat-out nuts and kept getting more and more bold with the bears. It is federal law (state law?) that you have to keep at least 200 yds separation from grizzlies. But he would go right up next to the bears, sometimes touching them. Even at times of the year when they were starving.

He was nuts in other ways. He made such a big deal about his mission to save the bears from poachers. Never mind that he was usually inside a national park and deaths from poaching are extremely rare. He was simply delusional. My kids have been walking around the last few days reciting some of his more outrageous quotes (that seems callous, but you would have to see the movie to understand). This is the kind of guy that gives all environmentalists a bad name - high on drama and emotion, but no logic whatsoever. By the end of the movie, you really start rooting for the bears to eat him. And you feel an injustice when the kill the bear that ate him.

Anyway, if you are into documentaries, this is a good one. Beautifual scenery, great video shots of wildlife, and a very interesting story.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/