THE PLOT THUS FAR
Bee People is not just a documentary. It is an adventure. Join Gregg McMahan, Colorado’s own ‘Bee Guru’ and Tony ‘Bees’ Planakis, NYPD’s go to beekeeper as they share extraordinary insight and take viewers on a ride they will never forget. This film is not just appealing to fans of nature and all things green. There is an incredible assortment of people and compelling events that make this movie feel like an epic adventure. Shot on a Nikon DSLR and a dream, producers David Knappe and Leslie Ellis (‘TV and Beyond: Cable at 60’) take viewers on an epic journey.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Bee People” is about people that love bees. They don’t just take care of them, but they live their life based on what the Hive is doing. The bee rescues captured onscreen are amazing and it makes me wish we were seeing these rescues in HD. But, I guess that indie documentaries don’t get that luxury. What we do get are rich character studies about what it takes to live life among those that sting.
Bees used to frighten the hell out of me when I was younger. Had I actually been allergic to them, then I would’ve had multiple “My Girl” incidents before I got out of Middle School. What’s up with the segments where average people get quizzed about bee minutia? If they were looking for filler in between segments, they should’ve gone another route. It reminded me of that movie “Fanboys” wherever other main challenge is handled by some nerd trivia contest. I have to admit that it’s quite odd to see the same concept in a documentary.
The DVD comes with featurettes as the special features. The A/V Quality is typical for a standard definition documentary. The transfer has small bits of noise, but that’s typical. The same goes for the Dolby Surround track. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 09/09/2014