Malika the Lion Queen

I dvr's this back at Easter-time, and watched it today.. I watched it not as a documentary, but as a movie about a lion and her life.. I liked it very much! I do not ever like scenes where there's a predator/prey hunt in nature (I know it happens, I just feel awful seeing it) so I just kind of covered up for those parts, but other than that I rooted for Malika.. you could tell it was a "female-empowerment" themed watch, but I just watched it for the movie about a life that it was, and both cried and enjoyed it..

I recently got around to seeing this special that aired earlier in the year. It didn't seem all that interesting if it was going to be two hours, but there is a story to be told. Whether Angela Bassett really knew what was going on I can't say, but she did an admirable job telling us the story as if she was the lion being followed. Was it one lion? The females all looked alike to me.

The lions get to play, of course, and these scenes are as cute as if we were watched house cats raising kittens. But no one is feeding these cats except themselves. The males let the females to the work while they take charge of guarding the pride. That seems to be what I've been told is how these things work. And when an animal is brought down and eaten, it is real. No assurance that "no animals are harmed". This is nature. Some young kids won't be ready for that, but overall I think kids can watch this. There is, however, a tragedy and we are not subjected to the graphic truth. No young lions are being shown being harmed. Nevertheless, the narration indicates something terrible has happened, and the reactions and the absence of certain characters indicates this is true. Older lions are shown being hurt, but it's not graphic like with the predator-prey relationship.

This being Africa, there is great scenery. During a drought it does not look all that good, but droughts end.

Even when grown, the lions still know how to have fun. And then they have to get serious. And sometimes things get desperate. At least that's what we are told. If things weren't desperate, though, I guess it wouldn't look that way.

As much danger as the lions are shown to be in, one has to wonder about the photographers. Zoom lenses help, and films like this have been done for decades, but they really seemed to get too close to the action. Perhaps with editing, the photographers and editors were able to create situations that didn't really exist but were close enough to the reality, and safer than actually following the real action.

I don't remember enough about nature specials from when I was a child, or films we were shown in school, to make a comparison to other films or programs. And I don't watch cable channels unless I am staying in a motel. And not channels with nature shows at all. I can only speak for this program. It makes a good introduction to lion behavior for those not familiar with it. Assuming, of course, the males are really jerks.

Good nature show but it bashes and demeans the value and importance of males. Very unfortunate because both males and females are equal and should be respected.

There is no escape from the incessant need to rewrite everything as a feminist triumph. First, every nature show must now be narrated by a female of colour. Next there must be a change in narrative to highlight female centric agendas even in nature shows. The fact that it's narrated from the perspective of the animal is even worse. It seems television has been truly lost with no genre spared. Probably the worst natural documentary I've seen.

Interesting to read the reviews slamming this as "woke." Maybe learn about what a lions' pride is all about. Lionesses are the queens of the pride. Males have their place and, as stated, patrol to protect. They will also join a hunt but sometimes stay back and don't participate unless their strength and size are needed to help bring down larger prey.

The females, though, ARE the heart of the pride. Lions are the only cats with a social community and prizes can range from small to dozens. Within a pride, those females far outnumber the males. Young males must leave and go find their own territory as they mature.

So before you whinge about "oh gee another female empowerment drivel story," stop and realize... This is an actual female empowerment story from the dawn of time. And grow up, wake up, and learn something.

(Yes I hate to anthropomorphize an animal, but lions do communicate their feelings within a pride. They show affection, grief, fear, joy...)

This was truly an enjoyable movie. I would like to see future installments and follow the pride as they continue. Did they survive and thrive under new males? Are they part of the Sabi Sands prides or any of the prides in the Ngala region? Which males joined Malika and her mother and aunties? (I'm sure this was filmed over several years, and filming during 2020 would have been almost impossible.)