‘Seasons’: Beautifully shot, but overstuffed nature doc

‘Seasons’: Beautifully shot, but overstuffed nature doc

[...] this eco-friendly film attempts to be an elegy about the destruction of the world’s forests since the dawn of humanity, coupled with a steady montage of earthbound creatures doing what they do in nature documentaries.

[...] when foreboding narration announces trouble in the forests — backed up by brief but ineffective re-enactments of human intrusion — “Seasons” feels trapped in no man’s land:

French directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud (“Winged Migration,” “Oceans”), two of the world’s most foremost nature filmmakers, are trying to cover more than 10,000 years of environmental history, not to mention cataloging what seems like Noah’s Ark.

[...] the cinematography is stunning, with wonderfully close-up views of the animals, whether they are frolicking, fighting, hunting, or even being hunted down.

[...] the opening sequence is spectacular, taking us in economical fashion from the Ice Age to the first days of the golden age of forests in Europe.