User Reviews

Pointing out the numerable problems in a critic-proof film like *March of the Penguins* will doubtless make me come across as a real sourpuss, but I'll give it a shot, anyway, because the movie has become eminent enough, and its faults interesting enough, to merit a rebuttal.

Mainly, the anthropomorphism throughout the film is nearly intolerable. Yes yes, we're all living creatures on the same planet, and most species share essential functions of biology, but director Luc Jacquet photographs -- for example -- a pair of mating emperor penguins as if they were Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimee in *A Man and a Woman*. The slow-motion rubbing of beaks, the bowed heads as if they are whispering romantic nothings to each other, the daytime soap-opera score tinkling in the background, eventually amount to manipulative hokum of the first order. It's also unscientific as hell: scientists have yet to conclude that animals "fall in love" as we understand the phrase. And yet the movie announces this thesis from the get-go. After the opening credits, a penguin bursts up onto the ice from the chilly depths below, and Morgan Freeman intones that this little fellow will do a number of foolish things "for love". The ever-present proverbial Professor once again must brandish his Red Pen and scrawl with irritation "PROVE???" in the margin. These particular penguins are monogamous for the breeding period only; other species show monogamous behavior for the entire span of their lives. But monogamy and love, as any divorce lawyer knows, are not synonyms. The filmmakers take a step further down this slippery slope when they label a mother penguin's loss of her chick as "unbearable" for her. Unbearable for us, certainly. But do we have the empirical data supporting the notion that penguins, or any other animals, suffer grief in the same way that we do? When this mother afterward attempts to "kidnap" another penguin's chick, the motivation is attributed to maternal agony and desperation: mightn't it rather be a coldly calculated behavioral instinct? I'm frankly shocked that National Geographic would put their imprimatur on such unscientific nonsense. Perhaps the Society feels that movies like these are needed to instill into sociopaths like oil executives and redneck hunters the idea that all species on this planet deserve our empathy and respect, but taking the low-road to achieve that aim isn't doing anybody any favors, least of all the penguins themselves.

In any case, the movie's thesis sort of falls apart at the end when the nuclear families of the penguins abruptly disintegrate: the adults beat a hasty retreat to the water for fishing and cavorting, leaving the darling chicks to fend for themselves on the ice. "The chicks will never see their parents again," Freeman says sadly. No postcards, no birthday greetings on video-mail. So much for anthropomorphism. Turns out after all that people are people, and birds are birds.

*March of the Penguins* is most successful doing what documentaries like these really do best: educating us on the ways of creatures different from ourselves. You WILL learn about the breeding cycle of the emperor penguin. I just wonder why acquiring this knowledge necessitated such a grim slog through speculative moralizing, accompanied by a tear-jerking score. A real documentary, including interviews with scientists, would have been more edifying. For instance, an expert maybe could have explained why the Antarctic would permit such an imperfect creature a continued existence there. One thing I wondered about was why emperor penguins don't have pouches to store their chicks. Clearly, adaptability is not the same thing as perfection. Or the paucity of natural predators necessitates a high mortality rate. Who knows? The movie successfully shows the hows, but doesn't address the whys in a scientific manner. Apparently, the penguins do it all for love. Okay.

3 stars out of 10.

This movie can be read as too achingly cute, too pushily touching and too mundanely poignant, but hey, those birds damn well deserve them. They walk (more like waddle) for hundreds of miles in total, starve themselves for months, and oh yeah, have to endure extreme subzero temperature and a few more with 100-mile-speed wind, all that with unbelievable grace, not too mention poise (that's why they wear tuxes) and all that for the sake of procreation.

The movie starts with stunning helicopter shots of antarctic glaciers (some the shots are worthy of an exhibition at a Chelsea gallery) and in the sun-lurked distance 'tis seen dark figures strutting across the white ice, and lo they are emperor penguins shooting from an ice-hole, from that on we are taken for a journey of endurance and survival, with moments of humor and joy here and there, but one thing this movie doesn't lack is elegance.

Just like a tradition of complex animal behavior, this one is bound to be inspiring for us humans and so much so, I was kind of embarrassed for our species because of their superior adaptation and continued existence. I was moved when the penguin march leader decided that he was no longer apt to be a leader, he just stopped and another penguin replace his position. It was unnervingly stirring when the group huddle during a freak snow storm, that and more.

The movie is restrained right before it starts to develop tyrptophan (unlike the turkeys in "winged migration") and for some scenes, to protect the G rating. But this sublime retreat from logical narrative of men offer even more enlightened and transcendent view that life, no matter how harsh the situation might be, is never just about humdrum struggle for survival or just to fulfill purpose, but for these penguins, a passionate, selfless caring, reliant, and an understanding struggle. Even knowing that they're going to face the same cruel fate over and over and over again. The kingdom of these emperors will be standing for some time, I bet.

Going into this movie, I had no idea of the premise, other than it was tagged with National Geographic and that Morgan Freeman was the narrator. The first encouraged me, the second did not. Upon reading the credits, I saw that Luc Jaquet was director – a Frenchman. Having watched many French movies over the years, and a long time follower of Le Tour de France, I was expecting excellent cinematography, and I was not disappointed.

From the opening narration, I knew that this would follow penguins (Emperor as it is) through courtship and birthing period. Of this I am used to, having watched Discovery Channel for years. The various nature shows I have seen about the struggles of life, death, birth, and a variety of other parts of life, engaged my curiosity and set my standard. Perhaps, that set my standard too high.

I was also put off having recently watched (finally!) "Million Dollar Baby." To me, having Mr. Freeman narrate "March of the Penguins" was too similar, and almost too popular, to give this movie a feeling of completeness to match my intellectual curiosity.

And I was right. The four of us who watched "March of the Penguins" walked away from this it with more questions than should be allowed, all about the life of the Emperor Penguin, and very little about the movie itself.

But don't take that I didn't like the movie – I enjoyed it tremendously. I just would have been satisfied watching it muted. Perhaps I will rent the movie and do just that.

And watch the closing credits, they are fun!

At a time when documentaries are gaining progressive interest and are seeing wider exposure and release into mainstream multiplexes, it has been an opportune strategy to unveil this latest informative excursion into theaters, where it has surprisingly surpassed even some of the summer's bigger, albeit, stale ambitions which have ended up failing to impress.

Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman narrates this natural wonder as seen throughout the frigid exploits of French director, Luc Jacquet.

The film chronicles the incredible annual journey of the Emperor penguins as they leave their habitat and travel across endless miles in order to assemble at their designated breeding ground.

From there, we see them attempting to locate a mate, and going through the process of "consummating" their union.

Amazingly, their courtship methods are not so unlike our own, and in many respects, they are reminiscent of humans, often resembling a wealthy society gathering at a formal event.

Once the conception has been completed, the penguins must cooperate together in sharing responsibilities and protecting each other from both the unforgiving elements of the endless winter season and from wild predators alike.

In awaiting the birth of their offspring, the penguins must overcome starvation, separation, and harsh climactic conditions, and unfortunately, many of them don't survive long enough to greet their young ones into the world.

Once the eggs are completely formed and begin to hatch, it becomes a whole new method of survival as the proud and doting parents must oversee the protection and well-being of their newborn chicks.

The display of community and family bonds is incredible, as are the expressions of attachment, grief, determination, and altogether sense of instinct.

The cinematography is flawless in the way it presents the sprawling, lifeless, white landscape of winter as a background to the black masses of striving and vital creatures. It is a stark contrast between nature's unavoidable tragedies and its welcomed miracles. The accompanying musical score also underlines the atmosphere quite nicely.

In our civilization of greed and emphasis on material luxuries, we could really learn a lesson about selflessness, sacrifice and placing priority on more fundamental aspects of living, through this inspirational film.