FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

eddie_baggins An immensely moving and thought provoking documentary about a subject that I would understand not many know about, Oscar nominated, Leonardo DiCaprio produced Virunga is a must see film for not only fans of documentary films but the general public and is an incredible examination of the human spirit and those dedicated to making the world a better place.England based filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel holds back no punches in this Netflix backed looked at the Virunga National Park deep in the wilds of the Congo and the many battles it faces from illegal animal poachers, greedy oil company's and a country with a long and sad history of violent civil wars. Einsiedel and his team of cameraman over a period of years nestled in deep with the men and women dedicated to the cause of preserving this majestic park range and the many animals it harbors, including the dangerously low in numbers Mountain Gorillas, and the film we the viewer get to witness offers us an up close and personal look at wide variety of situations, many of which were clearly dangerous for those on the ground.The landscape surrounding the naturally beautiful space of Virunga is fraught with danger and as Einsiedel's film progresses an appreciation for what troubles plaguing this region become more and more apparent, and the people who operate within these confines become more and more heroic. The humans are the stars here in Einsiedel's tale, from gorilla orphan caretaker Andre Bauma, Belgium prince Emmanuel de Merode operating as the park ranger leader, young reporter Melanie Gouby and one time soldier turned ranger Rodrigue Katembo, Einsiedel captures not only stunningly magnificent scenery and animal footage, but documents of incredible human beings, the type that in amongst a wealth of evil, corrupt cohabitants, shine a light on the good that can be achieved with a kind and loving heart.Virunga is a gut punch of movie, whether it be its documents of civil war, the sadness of animal poaching or the stand out examples of the human spirit, there's a wealth of material here that makes this film one of the year's best. Fantastically captured by Einsiedel and his team, Virunga is also one of the year's most visually unique and whilst it may not be easy viewing, Virunga remains compulsory viewing for anyone and everyone that cares for the world we live in today.5 cans of Pringles out of 5

ek-norton Virunga is a stunning film, part nature documentary, and part gritty exposé of the realities of life on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has been torn apart by conflict for thirty years.Director Orlando von Einsiedel does an incredible job at telling a complex story - documenting the beauty and remarkable vitality of Virunga National Park, alongside a developing story of corruption and greed, as it is revealed that a British oil company, Soco International, has been exploring for oil with the park's boundaries.The film features remarkable characters, from the gentle and fatherly gorilla carer Andre Bauma, through to the fearless French journalist Melanie Gouby, alongside the remarkable rangers who put their lives on to protect Congo's natural heritage.To make this film even more engaging, the issues at its heart are still very much relevant, and even though oil company Soco agreed in June 2014 to halt exploration the park, the fight is still not over. I urge you to watch this film, and educate yourself on its surrounding campaign. This is not a story which should be forgotten.

annepeter The film was shot by a very brave group of people in what is a dangerous area. The pictures of the Park are beautiful and the those of the gorillas are captivating. I lived in DRC for five years, but mainly stuck to Kinshasa.I was surprised by the historical inaccuracies in the initial background:the film states that other countries in Africa were run by European Governments, but that Congo was the only one run by companies. This is not correct. King Leopold convinced the other European Powers to grant him the Congo which he would 'run for the benefit of its people'. In fact he ran it entirely for his own financial benefit and this probably resulted in the death of 10 million Congolese (see 'King Leopold's Ghost' by Adam Hochschild).the film goes on to state that Patrice Lumumba, Congo's democratically elected Prime Minister at Independence was killed by mining companies. This is also not true. Patrice Lumumba made himself unpopular with the Belgian Govt with his speech at the Independence ceremony. He made himself unpopular with the American Govt with his approach to the Soviet Union for assistance. The CIA was briefed to arrange his death (see 'Chief of Station, Congo' by Larry Devlin) and the Chief of Station (i.e. the head of CIA, Congo) was bizarrely provided with poisonous toothpaste to be introduced into Lumumba's bathroom - but this was not deployed.The Belgian Govt took a direct role in Lumumba's murder with the Belgian Police Commissioner Frans Verscheure directing the firing squad (see 'The Assassination of Lumumba' by Ludo de Witte).It was not mining companies that killed Lumumba, it was the Belgian and US Governments.I can see that the film's makers wanted to present a uniform story where evil mining companies have been responsible for all the ills in Congo's past (and present), but this is not correct and this dishonesty detracts from the film.The film's makers have downplayed the subsequent (11 June 2014) decision by SOCO to withdraw from the Park and not to return unless 'approved by UNESCO and the DRC Government'. The film makers may not like SOCO, but their undertaking seems pretty clear and categoric. I can't see UNESCO inviting them back in.And part of the reason for that is the reality gathered and presented by the film. They, together with the campaigning efforts of WWF (likewise undervalued by the filmmakers) should get all due credit for saving this beautiful Park.

Red-Barracuda Virunga National Park in the Congo is a place of unique natural beauty. It is the home to a plethora of wonderful animals and vegetation but as is so often the way, it has several serious problems that threaten it. It's the location of human violence, corruption and exploitation. The disasters that specifically loom are two different groups, the M23 and SOCO International. The former are a violent rebel force who engages in an ongoing civil war with the Congolese government and the latter are a British energy company who specialise in oil exploration. Both M23 and SOCO invade the park in their own ways and neither seems very interested in the laws that have been set up to protect the flora and fauna that exist there, far less the people who live there. It seems hardly surprising in the case of M23, as they are a paramilitary organisation who can hardly be expected to be concerned with such things but it is the more legitimate big business SOCO who seem more worrying if anything. We discover in fact that they have been involved in a bribery campaign, utilising M23 as enforcers. It's a very murky situation where big money walks all over an impoverished nation and disregards a natural space that they can see no value in in their pursuit of financial profit.The symbol of the park in many ways is the mountain gorillas. Virunga is the last place on earth where they live freely in the wild and they are a protected species. This, of course, doesn't stop poachers killing parent apes and forcibly kidnapping the young for sale. Nor does it stop enemies of the park from simply killing these magnificent animals in an attempt to destroy the very thing that they see the park being protected for, in an attempt to make Virunga a place devoid of a reason to be protected in the first place. It's a horribly cynical situation. The documentary often almost plays out like a movie in its drama. We often hear about people working hard to save the environment but in Virunga we witness people literally putting their lives on the line fighting for this issue. This is the front line for environmentalists, a bloody warzone where it's pretty obvious who the good guys are. Over the course of the last fifteen years, 130 park rangers have been killed protecting Virunga. It's not far off one death a month and it shows the extreme dedication of these brave folks.The film focuses chiefly on four such brave souls. There is Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian warden who runs the park and dedicates himself to its protection. He was shot by gunmen two days after handing in a dossier of evidence against SOCO. Thankfully he survived and went straight back to work. We also have Rodrigue, one of Emmanuel's park rangers, who puts himself in the firing line on a daily basis. He also goes undercover for the film in order to expose bribery tactics. Likewise, Melanie, a French freelance journalist, also goes undercover to expose the views of the SOCO people involved in the enterprise. And lastly there is Andre, the guardian of four young gorillas, orphaned by the poachers. His dedication to the animals is touching and he is, to all intents and purposes, their parent. He links us back into the gorillas and the very essence of Virunga itself.This is a very strong documentary about an issue that is not so well known. It avoids preachiness and simply shows us things. Director Orlando von Einsiedel has to be given a lot of credit for how he handles the material and presents it in an engaging way, while making a very serious point. Unsurprisingly, there is much gritty, on-the-fly footage but it is also combined with beautifully composed images of the park. The cinematography at times is actually quite stunning. It makes sense to have adopted this approach, as this is a film that is about grim exploitation but also one about something very beautiful too.