Critic's Corner - Movie review: Born to be WILD!

Hey all, it’s Christian!

I’m here to tell you about the greatest thing that has ever been narrated by Morgan Freeman. The feature in question is “Born to be Wild,” a 40-minute flick highlighting both the plight and joy of orphaned elephants and orangutans.

The Imax film transports the audience to the lush forests of Borneo where primatologist Dr.Birute Galdikas heads Camp Leakey, a refuge for orphaned orangutans.

Morgan Freeman’s wise and tempered voice rings out like a call to mankind, his halcyon vocals accompanying the baby orangutans through orphanage and adulthood. It was inspiring to see and hear their story (as spoken by Morgan Freeman!); these orangutans are rescued anywhere from a few months to a few years old. The Camp Leakey counselors provide around the clock care ensuring that the babies receive the same amount of attention in semi-captivity as they would with their real mothers in the wild. The children would go around jungle gym-esque structures in order to develop the skills they would need for survival later. After about twenty heart wrenching minutes of bonding between humans and their adopted orangutan babies, the film switched focus to some of the most awesome elephants I’ve ever seen in my life. These elephants would play soccer and sleep in the same rooms as their caretakers until the time came for them to return to the savannahs of Kenya. It was phenomenal because the elephants that had previously “graduated” from the rehabilitation facility would ALWAYS meet the group of newly independent elephants each year.

This feel good flick comes highly recommended by friends and I. We love orangutans, we love elephants, and we LOVE Morgan Freeman. What else could you ask for on a Saturday afternoon?!