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Rhino Rescue(Blu-ray Review)

National Geographic | 2009 | 46 mins | Not rated | Jul 28, 2009 (New Release)

Rhino Rescue Blu-ray Review

Solitary and temperamental, the black rhinoceros isn't the sort of marketable, kid-friendly animal that will ever be a poster child for endangered species protection. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a "save the black rhinos" bumper sticker? An "I ♥ BRs" t-shirt? A cute-n-cuddly black-plush beanie baby at Toys R' Us? Unfortunately, every animal can't be as memorable or appealing as elephants, whales, and tigers, leaving many to simply disappear from the face of the planet before anyone notices. It's this fact of life and death that makes a television special like the National Geographic's Rhino Rescue such a fascinating prospect. Before today, I had no idea there were various species of rhinoceroses, much less one that had edged so close to extinction. I didn't know fewer than 4,000 black rhinos remained, or that one Cameroonian subspecies had already been declared extinct.

Sadly, Rhino Rescue didn't connect with me at all. Its veteran filmmakers, Emmy Award-winning documentarians Dereck and Beverly Joubert, squander precious screentime with pretentious prose, rarely bother to explain the reasons black rhinos are worth so much effort, and fail to extract a lasting emotional reaction from their audience.

Video



Rhino Rescue features yet another lackluster 1080i/VC-1 National Geographic transfer that has some trouble distinguishing itself from its DVD counterpart. While several shots -- specifically, the film's opening sequence, a small portion of the interviews, and a few closeups of meandering white rhinos -- represent the sort of presentation videophiles have become accustomed to, the remainder of the Jouberts' documentary is burdened with an abundance of standard definition video footage, poor detail, and muddy colors. Worst still, a slew of technical issues hamper the integrity of the transfer at every turn. Frequent artifacting, heavy banding, persistent noise, rampant aliasing, pesky motion blur, and obvious edge enhancement not only disrupt the image, they undermine the impact of several scenes. The Blu-ray edition offers enough of a visual upgrade to warrant its slightly higher cost, but anyone approaching Rhino Rescue should definitely adjust their expectations.

Audio



National Geographic's middling Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track offers a similar experience, underwhelming far more often than it impresses. A lossless mix would have helped matters a bit, but with little to offer listeners aside from the Jouberts' hushed, at-times pretentious narration, a series of shoddy field recordings, and a decidedly two-dimensional, front-heavy soundfield. While truck engines, creaking cages, and rhino snorts are solid, they lack proper LFE support. Likewise, prowling lions can be heard stepping through the grass, but never sound as if they're stepping into your home theater. As it stands, the track is too close to the standard DVD Dolby mix to satisfy Blu-ray enthusiasts or documentary fans. At its best, it's average... at its worst, it's entirely forgettable.

Final Words



Rhino Rescue is overcooked and over-seasoned for my tastes, but it does offer a solid introduction to a struggling species. Alas, the Blu-ray edition is a wash. Its mediocre video transfer, passable Dolby Digital audio track, and minuscule supplemental package are hardly going to earn it a sizable audience, and its relatively high price point will relegate it to Netflix queues rather than shopping carts. My advice? Give it a rent and see if it appeals to your sensibilities.