Our Review

                           Movie: GHOST ELEPHANTS

                                       Rating: NR                     

                                     Length: 1:38

                      Release Date: February 27, 2026

Jeanne: Written, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog, the documentary GHOST ELEPHANTS follows Dr. Steve Boyes as he searches in the highlands of Angola for these inaccessible mammals. Boyes is a conservation biologist and leader of the National Geographic Okazango Wilderness Project.

For over a decade, Boyes has been working to find the Ghost Elephants. Now, he and his fellow National Geographic Explorer Kerllen Costa have enlisted the assistance of three KhoiSan master trackers, Xui, Xui Dawid and Kobus, to help in their efforts.

These trackers have returned to their ancestral lands as refugees from the wars which have plagued Africa for many years. They are extremely knowledgeable and provide the skills necessary to guide Boyes and Costa across the rugged terrain and deep into the forests to locate the herd.

This is a herculean task involving multiple vehicles, including trucks, land cruisers, motorbikes --- and eventually traveling on foot --- to reach the final destination. And all of this must be done before the rains which will swell the rivers they had just crossed, preventing the group from returning to their original camp.

Boyes and his trackers have been given a type of dart gun to retrieve DNA from one of the elephants. But, it proves impossible to get close enough, when a brief actual sighting is captured only on a cell phone. Instead, they extract samples of dung which they hope will prove that the ghost elephants of Lisima are the direct descendants of the largest land mammals on record.

Boyes is an impressive explorer completely dedicated to his work and the people around him. It was necessary for him and Costa to meet with local chieftains to gain access to the areas where the elephants might be found, and his demeanor was always humble and conciliatory. Not many men would be able to lead such an exposition and still realize the importance of establishing the proper connections.

Herzog’s latest film is a fascinating exploration of this vast region and its spectacular inhabitants. The cinematography is stunning, featuring the Angolan Highlands Water Tower, which provides 95% of the water for the Okavango Delta.

Though the part of the documentary focusing on establishing DNA at Stanford University and the University of California, Riverside was factually important and interesting, GHOST ELEPHANTS would have been more compelling had more time been allotted to the actual elephants.

As it is, Herzog’s film is still a wonder as it showcases the conservation and educational research efforts accomplished by the devoted individuals featured within.

In limited theaters on February 27th

Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, March 8th

Opinion: See It Now!

David: Many people would respond with a single word if asked what is the largest land mammal on Earth --- and it would be elephant. To that point, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. features a display of Henry, the biggest pachyderm ever recorded. But there is a problem because the display is an incomplete picture of Henry since his skull and tusks, too heavy to be put on display, are actually preserved in a storage facility. There is also skepticism in some circles that Henry is only a myth.

The great director Werner Herzog has made it his mission to search for potential descendants of Henry in the highlands of Angola where the documentary GHOST ELEPHANTS  was shot. Herzog also writes and narrates.

He joins forces with National Geographic biologist Dr. Steve Boyes, accompanied by Kerllen Costa, a National Geographic Explorer, armed --- not with rifles --- but cell phones. They are joined by three native trackers. Their goal is to somehow find these potential Henry descendants called ghost elephants and recover DNA by shooting a dart and piercing an elephant’s skin from a long distance.

They do succeed in extracting enough DNA from one of these animals, but the billions of DNA lines to be processed by a super computer may take six months to a year. This adventure and daring did not have its risks. The researchers had to endure tiny bugs the size of a fingernail whose poison could kill a man in mere hours if the venom entered the bloodstream. They also encounter large spiders equally poisonous to humans.

GHOST ELEPHANTS is certainly a unique film about elusive creatures and the people dedicated to finding them.

In limited theaters on February 27th 

Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, March 8th

Opinion: WAIT FOR VOD