March of the Penguins DVD Review

"MARCH OF THE PENGUINS" reviews

DVD

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-05-05 15:31:58

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

Movies like this rarely get the hype they deserve. This most unlikely film has had critics over in America in a tizzy of excitement upon its cinema release, and all that without even a whiff of whizzy special effects.

March Of The Penguins could have been lifted straight out of the Discovery channel, being informative, interesting and above all entertaining. Following a group of penguins around may not be some people's cup of tea, but the dedication of director Luc Jacquet, who spent a year in Antarctica filming the every move of these flippery animals, certainly paid off.

Like any other film, this has happy and sad points, the latter being the dangers and hardship the birds face (such as unhatched eggs, dying of starvation or ending up in the belly of a predator). The film was a hit among Christian groups in the US, who pointed to the penguins' apparent monogamy. That such parallels have even been considered just proves how compelling and well made this film is, boasting a story few blockbusters can match and a depth of emotion documentaries rarely touch.

You couldn't get a better narrator than Morgan Freeman either and his warm tones help to make this mixture of information and education - funded by the National Geographic - a fascinating and engrossing film..

Extras include: Of Penguins And Men - a feature celebrating the incredibly challenging filmmaking process behind the film National Geographic's Crittercam - Emperor Penguins featurette - a fascinating short of penguins diving & feeding, including footage filmed from a camera mounted on the back of a penguin! 8 Ball Bunny' cartoon - a classic animated short from Warner Bros featuring Bugs Bunny as a penguin.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.