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Directed by: Luc Jacquet Starring: Penguins, Morgan Freeman The thrust of March of the Penguins is devotion. The movie documents a year in the life of the Emporer penguin, an almost alien lifeform that somehow managed to flourish in the harshest climate on Earth. Every year, the adult penguins engage in a mating ritual dating back thousands of years, involving many complex steps that have mysteriously been ingrained in them. They face impossible odds, bracing extreme starvation, ball-retracting temperatures and even predators to bring up their babies. So many wonderful elements combine to make this movie special--first and foremost, the cinematography. The movie just looks gorgeous, filled with poignant and incredulous shots that must have required a cameracrew with serious patience for the cold. One in particular stands out--it shows the instantaneous decay of an egg after being bobbled by the parents, and the parents rattling the egg helplessly in grief. The movie is gripping because something about the penguins' kinship seems strangely human. I, like most people, tend to neglect that animals have feelings too, and this movie brings those qualities to the forefront. I thought the images were powerful and comprehensible enough to speak for themselves however, and I didn't really care for Morgan Freeman's narration. I know every casting director in America pitches him first for any role requiring sagacious narration, but his tone just didn't fit. Honestly though, March of the Penguins puts the shallow, moribund Hollywood writing factory to shame with this simple, touching story of perseverance. RATING: 5 PROS: Uplifting, inspiring, well-filmed, simply wonderful CONS: Narration is no great shakes ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428803/
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Aug 11, 2005 19:06
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 05:55 |
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The cinematography for this film was amazing. The filmmakers made the icy hell March of the Penguins took place in as much a part of the movie as the stars of the show. The time elapsed sequences are well timed, keeping the audience interested. This movie is passed off as a children's movie thanks to recent commercial pitches you may have seen. It pitches March as a cute animal movie with cuddly baby penguins. It was because of this I was forced to watch March with my nephew and neice. I liked watching nature TV shows, so this was a logical step. The kids I babysat, and many of the children in the theater with us, were bored by the pacing and lack of things that were cute and/or funny. Sure enough, I found my nephew asleep halfway through after earlier complains of "This is boring," and "Can we go to the arcade now?" This movie is much more than fuzzy baby birds waddling around. This is about the parents' struggle through unforgiving weather, lack of food, and other harsh conditions to give birth to the next generation. I rate it 4.5 It's an excellent nature documentary. Not great for small children.
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Aug 14, 2005 04:09
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short to the point...this is an awesome documentary and really makes you feel the struggles of the penguins. 4.5
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Aug 14, 2005 22:34
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March of the Penguins presents a fascinating portrait of just how freakishly adaptable evolution allows living creatures to be - even if that isn't the filmmakers' actual goal. It's well-filmed, well-edited and paced in a way that makes endless expanses of ice and snow seem dynamic and interesting. The story itself is funny at times, tragic at times and - yes - uplifting fairly frequently. It's "cute" more than it's informative, which is - to me - a serious flaw. The primary problem I have with it - and many documentaries - is the way it attempts to "humanize" its subjects. Humans are egocentric pattern-recognition machines and we tend to see ourselves in... well... everything. This film exploits that tendency and spoon-feeds a rather intellectually disingenuous vision of "the march" as a result for the better part of its hour and a half runtime. Make no mistake - despite the film's tag lines and warm and fuzzy anthropomorphized vision of nature - this isn't a display of "love finding a way." Penguins don't feel and aren't motivated by love - a message the film DOES touch on, albeit far too briefly. In a section about what happens if a female is killed and does not return to take her mate's place, we are told that the male will abandon his offspring in order to save himself. Similarly, an abandoned chick will be left to starve by its fellow penguins. That's not love or hate or even indifference. That's just nature and there's far too little of it in this movie. If you see this movie, you should also make sure to see Grizzly Man which is equally well-crafted and presents an exceptional and utterly opposing vision of nature and the dangers that stem from people seeing too much of ourselves in animals. Pros - A very well-made picture. Visually stunning. Fun to watch, good for kids or dates. Cons - If it's a good film, it's a bad documentary. Puts forth a rather dishonest vision of the natural world that appeals to human emotional weakness more than to intellectual curiosity. 3 out of 5 funtax fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Aug 16, 2005 |
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Aug 16, 2005 18:22
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Funtax's review is right to the point and really what I wanted to say. This is more of a fun and entertaining movie, and a much better documentary is Grizzly Man. This is still fun though and I would recommend this to children and parents and even if you simply find the little penguins really cute, the 8 bucks is worth it cause you will seee a whole lot of cuteness in this movie (which is also enjoyable). 3.75
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Aug 23, 2005 09:25
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I just want to say this ISN'T a date movie! Unless you are planning on spending the rest of your life with your date and/or like getting into deep discussions about child-rearing and husbands and wives. I consider a date movie to be one where your chances of getting laid are greater after the movie than before. Not your chances of getting married. Great movie though.
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Aug 24, 2005 20:59
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 05:55 |
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I loved the shots of the Southern Lights. Those alone were almost worth the price of admission. The wide shots of Antarctica were also awesome. I enjoyed this movie a lot. It could have used more narrative and less dragged out, close-up shots of the penguins. (The penguin "sex scene" was very awkward to watch in a theater full of children.) Overall, a nice blend of information and cuteness  4/5
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Aug 25, 2005 04:45
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