Ghost Elephants Review: Werner Herzog Continues to Reach for the Unknown in Hopeful Nat Geo Doc

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Werner Herzog, a renowned German filmmaker, often explores the human search for meaning in his work. Many of his characters seem to challenge the power of nature, pursuing goals that ultimately prove empty. However, Dr. Steven Boyes, the South African conservation biologist featured in Herzog’s latest documentary, isn’t like those characters. While he physically resembles the types often found in Herzog’s films – with his unkempt beard and thoughtful eyes – Dr. Boyes is presented as a remarkably insightful and capable individual.

It’s not surprising that Herzog was drawn to film this story about a legendary animal and the man who has spent over ten years trying to find it. Beyond being a hopeful tale from Africa, the man’s journey gives Herzog a perfect opportunity to share his signature thoughtful observations. Ghost Elephants feels like a personal diary, moving away from typical documentary styles to explore deeper themes of survival, science, instinct, and what it means to be human.

The book focuses on a remarkably large and rare elephant species – nicknamed “Henry” – that was once spotted and is now preserved at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Henry was killed in 1959 during a big game hunt by Josef Fénykövi. The author, Boyes, has been investigating whether any of Henry’s relatives still exist and if local Angolan legends about a “ghost” elephant might be based on a real animal.

Thankfully, Ghost Elephants avoids the common mistake of focusing the story on a white explorer and instead centers on African cultures. The film almost acts as a flipped anthropological study, with Herzog skillfully showcasing the rich practices and traditions of local tribes that are often overlooked by the rest of the world. As Boyes gathers a team of Luchazi hunters and San Bushman trackers, Herzog beautifully describes the value of ancient ways of life, such as a tribe’s commitment to equality and refusal to elevate any single person above others.

Throughout the film, as the group journeys towards the Angolan plateau, Herzog pauses to reflect on colonialism, changing weather patterns, and the local cultures – particularly their music and dance – of the people assisting them. The transitions between the beautiful, sweeping shots of the African landscape, accompanied by Ernst Reijseger’s atmospheric music, and more standard interview segments with Boyes and others can feel abrupt. This tendency to explore many ideas, while common in Herzog’s work, sometimes makes it difficult to create a fully unified narrative.

These stories offer a fuller picture of life in remote West Africa, revealing that traditional beliefs about living and surviving are actually the roots of many practices we follow today. Through these glimpses into other cultures, Herzog subtly questions the idea that Western ways are superior, demonstrating that this region isn’t at all ‘primitive’ – it simply has a different history and way of life.

The film also strongly criticizes hunting as a sport by mirroring the excitement of the hunt through the act of filming itself, using cameras and cell phones instead of weapons. A particularly striking and disturbing image shows Herzog filming over a vast field of animal bones, creating a scene reminiscent of a Holocaust memorial, similar to those seen in the documentary Night and Fog.

The film respectfully acknowledges a world in decline, but balances this with a real sense of hope for the survival of old traditions in the few remaining wild places. As one critic points out, whether we actually find the legendary elephant isn’t the important part—the act of searching, of reaching for something lost, is what might help heal a damaged world.

Ghost Elephants releases in theaters on February 27th, on National Geographic on March 7th, and on Disney+ and Hulu on March 8th.

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2026-02-24 19:08