Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: March 3, 1998
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 0792252039
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,908 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Comedian Leslie Nielsen says that his garden is a "realm of stalkers, serial killers, and aerial combat" just as a bat swoops in and beheads a praying mantis. Is this a video for budding naturalists or for horror flick fanatics? It's unclear. While the cinematography may be noteworthy, the results are altogether too fantastic. Special effects create speed-eating fire ants devouring a dragonfly and a wildly dancing vine. The shrew in Nielsen's garden might as well be the pesky gofer in Caddyshack. The project has potential as a comedy but is not a good example of National Geographic's educational standards. Though Nielsen concludes that a garden is a place to pay attention and not wage war against animals you don't understand, the whole premise is that everyone's backyard is a war zone: gardeners are portrayed as the good guys and creatures are depicted as the enemies. Hey, here's a novel concept: if you want to introduce garden creatures to your children, turn off the television and take them outside instead. --Cristina Del Sesto

Product Description

Your average backyard garden may look tranquil and serene on the outside, but what lurks beneath will truly amaze you - as Leslie Nielsen is about to discover. As he strolls among the flowers, herbs and vegetables, there's a war for survival raging around him; from dangerous daddy longlegs and ferocious fire ants, to an eight-eyed jumping spider in a wrestling match with a belligerent bee. There's even a Top Gun-style air battle between a praying mantis and a bat. In this terrifying - and funny - new natural history comedy, National Geographic filmmakers use state-of-the-art cinematography to reveal what the world looks like from the insect's point of view.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, eye opening episode!, November 29, 2010

By 

rbrown205 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's The Savage Garden with Leslie Nielsen [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I really liked this episode, because it demonstrated another way of showcasing the wonders of nature in a garden - with humor and a good deal of silliness. I have to laugh out loud at Leslie Nielsen's facial expressions as he stalked the little creatures, and we get to see some really amazing cinematography as things too fast slowed down, and things that took a long time happened in a few seconds. Very nice!!