Siivekäs muutto

If only I had wings... Almost a hundred minutes of film of birds without any accompanying narration. In spite of this, Winged Migration isn’t boring for a second. Some scenes are in fact so charged with emotion that it would make the majority of movies green with envy. Although it lacks the pleasant satirical objectivity of Microcosmos, but even so it is a documentary that stays with you long after. Breathtaking shots that would be impressive even without the main subject - the birds. The unique filming technique sucks you in and you feel like you’re up there in the sky like one of the flock. In the company of many species you travel the world back and forth, accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack that gives out pining tones during shots of a lone eagle, switching over to powerful chorals as flocks of birds thousands strong take off... Although you might not expect me to say this about a “mere" documentary, it would be an unforgivable sin not to see this on the best possible system with surround sound. (17.05.2005)

The world of underground passages and grass in Microcosmos has been transformed into beautiful nature around the world. It’s just a shame that all of the shots in the film are so short and we can’t enjoy the best of them as we can in the slower, more fluid and more hypnotic Baraka. In any case, it is necessary to see Winged Migration on the big screen and, because of the collapsing iceberg, at least in Dolby Digital! (08.07.2002)