GRIZZLY MAN

Werner Herzog’s documentary offers a fascinating look at Timothy Treadwell, an angry man living on the edge who loved the grizzly bears and foxes he filmed. Treadwell’s own footage gives the movie its strongest material, while interviews with his parents and an ex-girlfriend fill out the portrait.

The film is less trustworthy when it accepts Treadwell’s naïve views of grizzly bears and gives serious weight to his hatred of human beings. Its strong humanist worldview and pagan element also matter, especially alongside plenty of strong foul language.

If you are a discerning adult who can engage those ideas and content thoughtfully, this is worth seeing for its remarkable footage and complicated portrait. For children and young teens, choose something else.

German director Werner Herzog examines the life of Timothy Treadwell, an environmentalist who spent time visiting grizzly bears in the wild. Treadwell’s personal video footage shows the animals and himself near his camp, while interviews with people who knew him add perspective.

The documentary considers Treadwell’s convictions about nature, his conflict with people and institutions, and the dangerous world he entered each year.

Three stars means this is a worthwhile but imperfect documentary. The footage of bears and foxes living near Treadwell’s camp is fascinating, and the interviews with people who knew him help create a fuller portrait of the man.

The film’s weakness is its judgment. Herzog’s documentary sometimes questions Treadwell’s radical environmentalist views, but ultimately sides with his naïve understanding of grizzly bears. It also presents Treadwell’s claim that the U.S. Park Service did little to protect grizzlies without producing evidence to support it.

GRIZZLY MAN presents a strong humanist worldview and ultimately a very strong environmentalist perspective about nature and grizzly bears. The film reveals Treadwell’s hatred of human beings, creating the impression that he would value a grizzly bear’s life above a stranger’s. That view distorts the biblical understanding of human dignity: people are not merely another part of nature but are made in God’s image.

The documentary also contains a pagan element. When drought threatens the bears, Treadwell prays to every god and historical religious figure he can think of, including Jesus, Buddha and Allah. Herzog expresses regret that Treadwell’s prayers appear to be answered when rain comes, suggesting a humanist discomfort with religious hope rather than pointing viewers toward the biblical God.

The film does show the beauty and fascination of the natural world. Scripture calls people to care for creation, but it also places human beings in a distinct position of responsibility. “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).

GRIZZLY MAN is a fascinating, imperfect documentary with remarkable animal footage and a troubling worldview. Its strong language and adult themes make it unsuitable for children and young teens. Discerning adults may find the portrait worth considering. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For family-friendly alternatives, see.