The Jeff Corwin Experience:
Costa Rica and The Amazon (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Paul Storck
Starring Jeff Corwin

Released by: Artisan
Region: 1
Rating: NR, safe for all ages
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: At least rent it.

If you’ve seen an episode of The Jeff Corwin Experience before, then you know comedy is as much a trademark of his performance as intellectual stimulation is. Two of his best episodes are collected on this disc: "The Amazon: Goin’ Bananas" and "Costa Rica: The Arribiatta." In the former episode, Jeff travels along the world’s largest river, the Amazon, in search of the myriad wondrous creatures who call this area home. He finds amazing creatures like an uakari monkey, venomous snakes, an adorable sloth, turtles, and frogs, glorious frogs. In "Costa Rica," Jeff contacts the amazing fer-de-lance viper, capuchin monkeys this time, river dolphins, and more wonderful frogs, including the popular and evolutionarily perfect red-eyed tree frog.

One of the not-to-be-missed scenes is when Jeff visits the Amazon and finds a wild jaguar...and scratches her head. That scene alone is so beautiful and wonderful that it alone is worth the price of the disc.

The production values are sound. The show looks great, with bright colors that truly show off the Amazon, the gold frogs, and the other brilliant sights to advantage. The sound is also good; you can clearly hear Jeff speaking, even when he’s surrounded by the living--and loud--rainforest. You can even hear exactly how awful Jeff’s Marlon Brando impersonations really are. The terrain is as lovely as the creatures, making viewers want to visit these vanishing lands immediately, and the gleaming, dazzling colors of the Amazon and of lovely Costa Rica show through on the screen beautifully.

There are no features per se on this disc, which is a bit disappointing given that there are only two episodes provided, for a total running time of less than two hours. It would have been nice to have gotten an interview with Jeff talking about the experience, even a commentary. There could also have been some text documents, discussing the various creatures more in depth, or even just a stills gallery. The disc, however, is quite inexpensive as it is, and increased episode count or added features would only have increased the price.

Overall, if you love animals, science, or The Jeff Corwin Experience, then you will want to add this disc to your collection. If you are as fond of frogs as I am, then you’ll absolutely want this disc, as frogs appear in both shows. If you don’t think you care about the natural world, animals, or travel, then you should still give this disc a view, as you just might change your mind. Encouraged by Jeff’s wacky sense of humor combined with real knowledge, kids and adults both will love this South American journey.