Chimp Empire (2023)

Title: Chimp Empire

Year: 2023

Genre:  Documentary |

Seasons: 1 |

Runtime:  180 min (4×45 min)

Director:  James Reed

Starring: Mahersala Ali

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Set under the lush canopies of Uganda’s Ngogo Forest, scientists and field trackers have lived alongside this tribe for the last 25 years, watching as they built a sophisticated political and familial structure: forming alliances, building trust, caring for one another, and often going head-to-head in a never ending fight for power. Reed and his team embedded a camera crew to capture an intimate look at the chimps of Ngogo, which saw some of the most tumultuous battles and dramatic changes in the tribe’s history. During the series, babies will grow, relationships will blossom, and leaders will rise and fall.

Docuseries Chimp Empire is attempted from Netflix by telling about the chimps in the Ngogo forest in Uganda. There’s magnificent close up on the animals in the forest. It tries to tell an oversighted story about chimps, who shares DNA with humans, doesn’t bother whether a documentary-film crew arrives and tells a fictionalized story or not.

Mahersala Ali, provides with a soft wet voice, soothing enough to make you sleep. He narrates all four episodes and tell the changes in the chimp communities. It’s deranged by the human who drive the animals out of the forest and the internal struggle for the alpha male. This docuseries shares similaries from BBC successful format of Planet Earth or Blue Planet. It tells with fictional names and how these monkeys move, how they feel and relate to each other.

The show seems to prioritize the spectacle of chimpanzee behavior over building any kind of meaningful emotional connection with the audience. There are certainly moments of drama and conflict, but they are often presented in a way that feels superficial and lacking in real emotional weight. One of the biggest issues with Chimp Empire is that it fails to provide any real context or background about the chimpanzees being featured. We don’t get any sense of their individual personalities, histories, or relationships with one another. Instead, they are presented as interchangeable members of a group, with little distinction between them.

This lack of depth and emotional connection is particularly disappointing given the potential for the subject matter. Chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent and social animals, capable of complex emotions and relationships. But this series fails to tap into this potential, instead presenting a surface-level view of their lives.  Overall, while Chimp Empire is certainly worth watching for anyone interested in chimpanzee behavior and social dynamics, it falls short when it comes to creating a truly engaging and emotionally resonant viewing experience.