People are voting emotionally.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Why was it called zookeeper's wife and not just zookeepers? He appeared to be just as heroic if not more so.

Another saturated topic, we typically get two or three WWII films a year. Frustratingly, this is another typical holocaust film and one that will not standout against the packed crowd. In saying that though, this is an excellent "story" film to which I was fully immersed. A factual fictionalisation of the Warsaw Zoo surviving WWII where both animals and humans are in danger. The owners soon start to hide Jewish residents within the zoo in an attempt to save their lives from the Nazi holocaust. I expected a film about zookeepers and nearby residents saving animals from Nazi capture, boy was I completely wrong. The zoo animals only take precedent during the first fifteen minutes, and then the narrative's focus is purely on the owners, Jews and the Nazi regime. Soul draining is how I would describe this. It's bleak, depressing and not an ounce of happiness until the last five minutes. Director Niki Caro captures the horror of the holocaust and does not shy away from the brutality of it. She evokes powerful imagery that isn't portrayed in the film, we see a young girl being taken into a tunnel by two Nazi soldiers. We don't see what happens, but the detail in every scene enables us to imagine the terror that unfolded. Another synonymous scene would be when Jewish children are carried onto a train. We know where it's going, but the story never informs us. It's subliminal, and that might be due to the over saturation of this genre. Jessica Chastain stars as the eponymous character in what is one of her more nuanced performances, but emotionally vulnerable. When she cries, my God I feel it. Daniel Brühl was also captivating as the Nazi zoologist. Would I have liked the focus to be strictly on the zoo animals? Yes. It would've been different, less generic and perhaps more emotive. Can I complain about what was presented instead? No. A perfectly good WWII drama that is harrowingly depressing which will not set the cinematic world alight.

Based on a true story: the title character, Antonina Zabinska (Jessica Chastain) assists her husband Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh) in caring for the Warsaw Zoo, showing great affection and connection with the animals. After Germany invades Poland in 1939, the couple work together to smuggle Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to live in hidden spaces of the zoo and their home.This particular Holocaust story is certainly worthy of being told. It is in the same vein as "Schindler's List" in which citizens risk their own safety and lives to help others in great need.The trouble for "The Zookeeper's Wife" is perhaps in its timing. The best films in the Holocaust genre (including "Schindler's List") have raised the bar so high that it becomes more and more difficult to meet, let alone surpass, existing levels of greatness. The most recent great examples include "Phoenix" and "Son of Saul"- each released within the last three years.The English language is used in the film and spoken with Polish accents. While this helps to add authenticity, it is sometimes difficult to understand when the actors are speaking softly.The directing style in "The Zookeeper's Wife" (by Niki Caro who did a great job with "Whale Rider") is perhaps too standard though the same could be said of the screenplay by Angela Workman based on the book by Diane Ackerman. The early scenes of the invasion and the ghetto are powerful. And who couldn't envy Chastain as she provides affection for a couple of adorable lion cubs. While we can feel tension in the movie's second half, the overall effect just doesn't match those of other films on this subject. There seems to be an emotional distance between the characters and the audience.Had this film been released over a decade ago, it might have fared better. But compared to similar films of this era and earlier, it comes up wanting.

GRADE: B-THE FILM IS RECOMMENDED.The Zookeeper 's Wife tells the important story of the Nazi Occupation in Poland and trivializes it with heavy handed sentimentality. The film tells the true story (with way too much melodrama) of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, zookeepers at the Warsaw Zoo, who decide to save some wild animals and many Jews from the Nazis during 1940 until 1945. The obvious symbolism of the newly caged Jews hidden within the walls of the zoo is not easily missed and probably the most subtle reference in this entire film. (Historically, the Zabinskis rescued nearly 300 Jews from their certain deaths.)The Zookeeper's Wife is a well made film, but the subject matter of the Holocaust and its systematic destruction of the Jewish people deserves a more realistic treatment. Although director Niki Caro earnestly tries to tell the story with serious intent, she overstates the obvious throughout the film. The simplistic screenplay by Angela Workman depicts Good vs. Evil in the broadest of terms. To her credit, Ms. Caro creates some powerful images and doesn't shy away from the ugly atrocities upon the Polish people but, the characters, in general, lack depth and rarely seem authentic. The actors play their roles with conviction. Jessica Chastain tackles the part of Antonina and she is a believable presence. As her stoic husband, Johan Heldenbergh is quite compelling. Daniel Bruhl balances his stock character, Lutz Heck, a Nazi sympathizer and animal lover, with a refreshing degree of nuance. He makes one believe in this conflicted man.However, too often, facts make way for fiction in this film adaptation for the sake of dramatic conflict. Though far from accurate, Lutz's infatuation with Antonina becomes a central issue of the story. Also a fine young actress named Shira Haas is cast as Urzula, a totally fictional character much maligned by the Nazi soldiers. While the actress is very effective in her supporting turn, one wishes the filmmakers stayed true to more historic accounts of real events.The Zookeeper's Wife has much to admire, if one can accept the oversimplifications and soap opera plotting presented as truth.