March of the Penguins

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS REVIEW:

Have to say I really enjoyed this one. Basically, the cinematography is stunning. It boggled my mind how this film put you right there with the animals it was documenting. By the film's end, you felt like you knew these penguins as if they were people - the power of this film's narrative really is incredible. My only complaint is that it might have been nice to have a little less personification and a little more of the actual science behind some of the phenomena we were witnessing. Mostly though, the narration by Morgan Freeman was crisp, interesting, and added a lot to the movie. The classical soundtrack lended great ambiance to the awe-inspiring arctic backdrops. What more can I say? The journey of the penguins that this film documents is one of those real-life quirks of nature and evolution that makes most fictional plots look ordinary in comparison. Gotta warn ya though - this movie has some SAD parts. Seriously, don't get too attached to these human-looking penguins, because ("spoilers," if you will ...) not all of them are going to survive the fierce winter climates of the antarctic. Anyways, this one is definitely worth seeing - thanks to its breathtaking and up-close scenes of unspoilt nature and the animal kingdom - especially if you have any interest in nature, animals, or just really, really like penguins. My grade: A-