March Of The Penguins | REVIEW

March Of The Penguins isn't really a film (technically), but it's a really nice documentary that relies on basic storytelling. It was, of course, widely released in cinemas all over the world and received overwhelming positive feedback from moviegoers and critics alike. This documentary also won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2005 because of the amazing efforts that were taken to go on location and shoot this baby. And when I say 'location' I mean the hardest place to get to with the most deadly of landscapes added to the harshest of weather conditions. No, penguins do not live in Afghanistan...I was talking about Antarctica!

Directed by Luc Jaquet and originally a French language nature documentary, March Of The Penguins depicts the yearly walk of the emperor penguins from their natural 'homes' to the mating ground, which is sometimes located nearly 100-kilometers away due to the shifting of the icy plains. The penguins walk and endure the winter cold to get to their birthplace, which will now act as their mating ground. The penguins flirt around a bit, find the right one and then get some action going! It's like their prom night, only the climate can kill you and it's open-air. When I say 'penguins' I mean literally thousands of them, all marching together towards the same mating spot. Talk about a major orgy, right? But the male penguins select just one female, and the duo stick together as a family throughout the winter. The amazing feat here is the back and forth marching of the male and female penguins across 100km of winter-stricken plains of ice in order to gather food for their chicks. It's really awe-inspiring to see how this species of bird has continuously done this for hundreds of generations just to make sure that their race carries on. What's unexplainable is how they manage to find the exact mating spot even though the plains change and lands are drastically shifted over the seasons. It's as though they have an internal compass.

'Survival' is a basic theme that can be derived from March Of The Penguins. The emperor penguins struggle against merciless blizzards and fierce storms, and although some die from starvation and fatigue, thousands make it to the intended destination. 'Love' is another important value in this documentary. But there are other, more subtle messages encrypted within this work of art, all of which propelled it to an award-winning status. There are messages in there that stress 'the importance of family', 'unity', and 'one-sexual partner per person'. It even stresses 'female rights', in a big way, since the Mum-penguin is the one who goes back to hunt and gather food while Dad's protecting the egg. It's pretty much an artsy-documentary that compares itself to our modern society in more ways than one.

The best way to watch March Of The Penguins would be on a cinema-screen. The scenery is breathtaking and the camera work is really good. It takes effin' guts to actually go out to a place like Antarctica and make a documentary. Imagine how much research was conducted before the shoot and how many initial trips were made before the green light was given. Those aren't the hardest parts, though. The toughest challenge for these filmmakers come in the form of an unforgiving climate that can bring about a very slow, white death. It's a deadly but beautiful place. It's frightening. The next best way to watch March Of The Penguins would be on a plasma, high-definition TV, via a Blu-Ray Disc. I don't own one, but I've seen it and it rocks, dudes and dudettes! Most of the beauty of this thing is lost when watched on standard definition sets and / or ordinary 4:3 TVs. That's the sad truth.

The original version is in French (which was dubbed as though the penguins were the ones telling the story) but the worldwide release has Morgan Freeman doing the narration. Morgan 'f*ckin' Freeman, baby! How cool is that, right? This guy has a feel to his voice, I'm not quite sure what the word is for it, but it works. That's probably why they made him play God in Bruce / Evan Almighty. It's the man's voice. It sounds all-and-ever-knowing...or something like that. That's why he narrates for War Of The Worlds, even. It's either this guy or James "I am your father, CNN' Earl Jones. Awesome voices!
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Wrap : March Of The Penguins scores a 4.7 out of 5.0. Don't compare these ratings to your favorite films and say, "What the Happy F**k?! Penguins scored better than Iron Man?!" No, penguins did not score more than every one's favorite armored billionaire. This one's a documentary and shouldn't be compared to commercial movies. It gets a strong 'wrap' because it takes balls to go out to effin' Antarctica and shoot marching penguins in temperatures like -80degrees. Not easy, folks. The scenery is beautiful, the values are simple. You may not be a documentary person, but if you enjoy good shots and excellent camera work, March of The Penguins is a must-see.