Escape From Extinction Rewilding (2024) Documentary Review: Another doc that feels like a promotional pitch rather than a wake-up call

In 2020, American Humane (an animal welfare organization that certifies movies and TV shows with a clear chit for animal treatment on set) produced the documentary “Escape From Extinction,” narrated by Helen Mirren. The documentary had some hair-raising insights about biodiversity and the possibility of a sixth major mass extinction. It touched on some very pertinent issues that we, as humans, are facing and will be facing if we don’t divert our attention toward animal species that are disappearing from the face of the earth but are essential for maintaining a balance in the ecosystem. 

However, the documentary also had a myopic vision about what can be done about the issue. Instead of digging deeper into the many steps that a general populace watching it can take, the doc forced-fed its pro-zoo propaganda — gaslighting the audience for believing in something and then turning it over its head with intelligent jargon and carefully checked-in musical cues that did their dirty trick by the time the documentary ended. 

Now, the sequel, “Escape From Extinction Rewilding,” this time narrated by the great Meryl Streep in a soothing baritone that could make you go to sleep instead of taking notice, director Matthew R. Brady and writer Alex Vincent Blumberg have significantly crunched down on virtue signaling and propaganda peddling. This time, they are talking about the extinction of wildlife species without constantly adding promotional shots from the ‘zoos and aquariums’ that have helped them with funding the project. 

The result is an insightful look at what we, as humans can do in order to avoid getting ourselves killed in the coming years. The documentary, which goes from the cloud forests of Rwanda to the California coast, is urging us to take conservative steps right now. In order to do so, it introduces us briefly to the radical approach of Rewilding. For those unaware of what rewilding is all about, it carefully explains its dire need to bring back the balance in our ecosystem that has been caused by human greed. 

Basically, Rewilding involves reintroducing species that have become extinct in certain regions by relocating them from areas where they still exist in limited numbers to environments that are best suited for their survival. Now, Rewilding is a complex process. Part of this also includes killing off animals in order to keep certain species that have the threat of extinction upon them – alive. From a moral and ethical standpoint, the process is a slippery slope where my personal biases would intervene with what the experts and researchers in the talking heads section of the documentary are saying. 

However, even a layman like me would understand that the process involves a lot of funding – part of the reason why the documentary exists is to spread the word and get to at least one of the thousand millionaires in the world to facilitate the project that can boost the names of the many bodies involved in the doc. I have to say that I appreciate the message of hope that it leaves us with, in comparison to the grim outlook that its prequel set, but it still feels like a dishonest and rather tedious way to give us a wake-up call. 

Read More: The Last Keeper (2024) Documentary Review: A Partial Investigation Into the Scottish Highlands Conflict

Escape from Extinction Rewilding (2024) Documentary Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes