I've always admired birds and their ability to fly. I found out one day just how graceful they are when I actually stopped to look closely at one. The combination of power and grace used in a simple flap of the wing was almost magical. Still, you can only observe so much standing at one angle on the side of a pond or looking up at the sky. Enter director Jacques Perrin with Winged Migration, his spectacular documentary that takes observation a step further as he literally seems to take flight with flocks of birds during their annual migration.

The film spans 40 countries and seven continents as it traces the migration patterns of various kinds of bird species. It's a strange mix of familiar fowl and feathered oddities, the likes of which I've never seen in my small corner of the world.

Winged Migration is more of a meditation on nature than a scientific exploration of the travel habits of birds. It's something to experience rather than learn from. There's no narrative and only limited narration. What you're watching focuses on exotic birds from all over the world converging for an annual tradition rivaling my own weekly trek to McDonald’s.Well, sort of. For the birds, it's about survival. I'd like to say a Big Mac attack is the same, but my ever-growing gut would give me away. 

Perrin (who also wrote, produced and narrated) once again pays tribute to the process of nature as he did with Microcosmos, a real bug's life of sorts that focused on the insect world. The most amazing thing about Winged Migration is the detailed view we get of the birds as they flap their wings and glide through the air currents. Employing a creative and innovative mix of camera set-ups, Perrin is able to literally fly alongside flocks of birds and get the view from the middle a gander's skyward V. I felt exhilarated watching nature in action and seeing in great detail the many small bird muscles working their magic.

There's even a little unexpected levity as the birds do bird things. A sucker for well-placed potty humour more than I'd like to admit, Perrin tosses in a couple of spots that would make the Farrelly brothers proud.

The best visuals tell a story, even if they're only on screen for a short period of time. Laced throughout Winged Migration are spots where nature and humans collide. Perrin's cautions feel a little heavy handed in a couple of instances -- but he does use it to make an important point that's beautiful to boot.

Bird watching has always relaxed me. Now, because of this   unusual documentary, I have a whole new outlook and sense of awe for those wings in the sky. So what if they're attached to creatures who sometimes use the family car and my dad's shoulder for target practice?

(Released by Sony Pictures Classics and rated G for general audiences.)

Review also posted on www.ryancracknell.com/movies.