Lions are strong, majestic creatures that inspire courage, bravery, and pet-envy as you watch your tabby lazily cough hair balls onto your best jacket. Bask in the glory of these beasts with today's Groupon: for $5, you get admission to National Geographic's The Last Lions (up to a $10 value). This deal is valid for any showing between Friday, February 18 and Thursday, February 24 at The Landmark Theater of Bethesda on Woodmont Avenue.

With an arsenal of informative magazines, elegant photographs, and illuminating documentaries, National Geographic has inspired planetary responsibility and natural wonderment for more than 120 years. Their latest filmed adventure, The Last Lions, ushers viewers into the wetlands of Botswana's Okavango Delta, where a lioness named Ma di Tau and her cubs fight for their survival. From fleeing raging fires and cub-killing rival prides to wading through crocodile-infested rivers and the supermarket at rush hour, this family suffers perils that leave audiences touched and awestruck. Crafted by award-winning filmmakers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and narrated by Jeremy Irons, The Last Lions aims to raise awareness of dwindling big-cat populations while sharing a compelling story of hope. The film is rated PG for depictions of the food-chain cycle without the accompaniment of an Elton John song.

In the last 50 years, lion populations have plummeted, leaving roughly 20,000 in the wilderness. Proceeds from ticket sales of The Last Lions will further National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative to increase understanding through education, research, and conservation, eliminating the need for overhyped lioness dating shows. Every viewing of the film's trailer will donate 10 cents toward a jungle-king conservation fund. For more ways to donate, check out National Geographic's Cause an Uproar page.

Reviews

The Last Lions has been reviewed by the Hollywood Reporter, Santa Barbara Independent, and Variety. More than 7,000 Facebookers like the film. Nearly 60 Yelpers give the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema a four-star average. Yahoo! Locals give the theater an average of 4.5 stars and seven Google Mappers give it an average of 4 stars.

• There’s no denying the burnished beauty of their footage, or the intense, and often heartrending, intimacy of the images they’ve captured. – Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
• A stunningly beautiful, powerful story about a mother lion’s fight to protect her cubs. – Barney Brantingham, Santa Barbara Independent