March of the Penguins (2005)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Simply Perfect

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Fascinating and beautifully made documentary narrated by actor Morgan Freeman shows the migratory journey of a colony of emperor penguins at the south pole who must make the 70-mile trek from their shores inland in order to get to the mating grounds, where they face even more hardships, as it is the mothers who must make the return journey to the water in order to find food(evading waiting predators), and the fathers who stay behind to take care of their egg by concealing them under a flap of furry skin to shield them from the blistering cold, while they face starvation themselves. Even after the eggs are hatched(not all will survive) they face threats from predators and continued freezing weather, as they live in the harshest climate on Earth... A real achievement in filmmaking will resonate most with animal lovers, but will still appeal to all in fine family entertainment.

I don't even know where to start with a documentary this immensely moving. In just 80 minutes, Luc Jacquet did what every director should aspire to do - create a piece of work that makes you cry, makes you smile, and uplifts your spirits and he did it all with nothing but a Super-16 Aaton XTR prod and one dedicated team; All this to capture one of the most naturally beautiful things that takes occurrence on this planet. As everyone reading this will already be aware, this documentary gives stunning insight into the breeding season of one of natures most innocuous, loving, dedicated and breathtakingly determined creatures on Earth; The Emperor Penguin. Every year, around April, when the ice is thick, thousands upon thousands of emperor Penguins begin a 70+ mile trek across one of natures most unforgiving landscapes. The Journey is brutal, and it has to be made more than once, but the results, at least to these inspirational animals, are worth it. Finding a partner, mating, travelling up to 100 miles to find food, all in the vein of creating new life and it is such a fascinating thing to watch. Antarctica often seems worlds away, so for someone like Jacquet to bring us this documentary is commendable and whilst I have reserves about saying this, I think having Morgan Freeman do the VO was a stroke of Genius - Freeman is a beloved star in the west and I honestly think him being a part of this, grabbed a lot of peoples attention who maybe otherwise wouldn't of thought twice about sitting down to watch a documentary about Penguins. To sum-up I just want to say that this is one of my all time favourite documentaries and it was truly a joyful experience to watch it. It is 80 minutes of your day you wont regret giving up and certain images from it, will never, ever leave your head - for better or worse. 10/10.

This was one of the most uninteresting, boring and worst movies (or documentaries) that i ever saw in the cinema. When i saw it in 3d on a big IMAX screen it bored the life out of me. I know that no one ever followed penguins around so closely and yes,i also think that penguins are cute, but this was one of my personal "Top Ten: The worst and the Boring"... every 2nd regular BBC documentary manages to be somewhat cool and enlightening about some aspect of animal life. This movie should be 15 Minutes long, so i would have survived it without having to write my first review in such a smashing fashion. Hate it! After 15 minutes the movie stopped to be interesting to me and was just plain torture.

The March of the Penguins is an Academy Award winning documentary that tracks the voyage of the Emperor Penguin as they make their way to and from the ocean to their breeding ground. It is a remarkable tale of the continuation of a species. A theme throughout the film is that of the awe inspiring love of a parent to a child. No matter the species, the gift of life is a marvel and a thing to be cherished. The Emperor Penguins go through great trials in order to bring about the hatching of their young. They must travel many miles in harsh conditions to reach the breeding ground where they can safely lay their single egg. The father penguins must survive months with no food, huddled together to provide warmth to each other and protection to their eggs. Each father is responsible for the egg he harbors on his feet, beneath a fold of warm skin, while the mothers must make the trek back to the ocean in order to feed themselves and bring food back for their babies. The penguins must struggle against the elements, predators, and starvation. They struggle through these things, all in the hopes of a successful hatching.Morgan Freeman is the only human voice heard throughout the duration of the film. He expertly provides the narration needed to understand the movements of the penguins, and assists the viewer in understanding the harshness of Antarctica and the trials that the penguins go through. He provides interesting facts and details about Emperor Penguins that create a bond with the penguins, such as the fact that Emperor Penguins are monogamous, but only for the season. The March of the Penguins is similar to the 2007 documentary Artic Tale. Both movies focus of the lives of animal parents and their young as they struggle to live in the coldest parts of the world. Both show the trials that the animals face to ensure their survival and the possibility of future generations.The voyage of the penguins comes alive with the capabilities of the camera crew. Much of the film is shot from a subjective, eye level height. This really lets the viewer feel like they are in with the penguins and experiencing the harshness of the weather and the joy of the eggs hatching. Often, the camera zooms in on the penguins so the viewer can appreciate the beauty of the penguins and their surroundings. The camera takes a different angle when the long journey to and from the breeding ground is shown. In this case, it's more of an objective view looking down of the penguins as they make their single file march. The view scans out to see the vastness of the icy landscape and the extreme distance they must travel, all in order to create a new generation.Sound is also a key technique in establishing the bond between parent penguins and their young chicks. Before the father penguins leave the young chicks in their mother's care to head back to the ocean to feed after a four month fast, they sing to their babies and their babies sing back to them. This is the only way that they will recognize each other upon the father's return. It is amazing upon the fathers return, that through the chaos of all the penguins singing that each father can find what he is looking for, his chick. In the coldest place on earth, life remains. The Emperor Penguins continue to struggle and survive in order to create the greatest joy in life, a new life. Everything they do is for the benefit of their young chick. A parent's love can withstand harsh weather, fierce predators, and stress to their bodies in order to create a future for their children. The cycle of life continues.