I've only caught a few episodes of this show, but I like what I've seen so far. The Kratt brothers are probably best known for their kid shows, Zaboomafoo and Kratt's Creatures, but this show is definitely more oriented toward an adult audience. (Don't make my mistake-- the first time I saw it I called in my young son, just in time for him to see a chimp bite the head off a monkey. Oops.) Unlike many nature documentaries where the film crew remains out of sight and voiceover narration is added later, the Kratts address the camera directly while filming their subjects. It's a very subjective approach that runs the risk of having the filmmakers compete with their material for attention, but in this case it works. The lack of distance (literally) between the Kratts and the animals they're focusing on effectively draws the viewer in at a gut level-- in the chimp episode there's amazing footage from the ground of huge apes swinging violently from treetops that barely look able to support their weight, while the brothers try to dodge other chimps rushing the tree trunks for fallen prey. It's exiting stuff. Add to this the Kratts' far-reaching knowledge of the animals & the environments they inhabit (as well as the brothers' seemingly boundless enthusiasm for their subject), and the result is a really entertaining, informative show.
Review of Be the Creature
