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The Movie:
An enormously popular documentary feature that became an audience favorite last Summer, "March of the Penguins" is a remarkable feature that, while simple, is still marvelously entertaining. The feature chronicles the march of the emperor penguins across the Antarctic towards their breeding ground. Every season, without fail, the birds don't fly or swim to their destination - they walk...single file. The birds, chunky yet sleek, go through conditions that become more cold and brutal as the days go on.
Once the birds arrive, they pair off with a mate and that's who they're with for the season. There are less males than females, resulting in some women who attempt to break-up relationships, to no avail. The group then settles in, banding together to try and protect each other from nights of increasingly low temps.
While some eggs don't make it (and the couple then heads off), those that do are taken care of by the males for a long wait in up to -80 degrees and 100mph winds. We're told that, while males can otherwise be aggressive, during this time, they all work together as a team to keep the group warm in the very serious temps. Females during that time head towards open water, where they feed on fish and various other seafood. When the females return (and they somehow know who to return to within the group), they take care of the new young while the males go off in search of food.
"March of the Penguins" is a certainly beautifully filmed documentary, as despite the fact that the focus is largely on the slow-moving penguins, there are plenty of stunning shots of the Antarctic landscape and marvelous shots of the penguins journeying towards their destinations. Sweet in most scenes and sad in others, the film manages to really involve the audience in the story of these creatures. In fact, the only issue that I had with the film was the narration, as while Morgan Freeman does a fine job with the material, there were moments that could have done without any discussion. Overall, a wonderful documentary look at the amazing journey these birds have to undertake each year.
The DVD
VIDEO: "March of the Penguins" is presented by Warner Brothers in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Despite some wide shots that looked a little bit grainy, the majority of the film looked fantastic. Sharpness and detail in the close-ups remained impressive, and most of the film appeared crisp and well-defined.
As for flaws, despite some inconsistent grain (although that is probably an intentional element of the photography), there were a few tiny instances of edge enhancement that were barely noticable. The majority of the film appeared clean and clear, with a smooth, "film-like" appearance. Colors (although, given the setting, the only real colors were really from the birds themselves) remained bright and accurate. The movie definitely plays well on the small screen.
SOUND: "March of the Penguins" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Surrounds kick in some mild ambience, but the majority of the audio is spread across the front speakers, and - aside from the penguin chatter and narration - includes a lovely score.
EXTRAS: Instead of a commentary, we get "Of Penguins and Men", a 53-minute "making of" documentary that lets viewers in on the film crew's experience of spending months in the Antarctic trying to capture the penguins on film. Filming required putting on 6 layers of clothing each morning to head out into the snowy landscape. Interestingly enough, the penguins are just as curious about the film crew as they are of them, as we see the birds mingle around the camera. We are also shown the challenges of trying to film in extremely low temperatures and extraordinarily tough and snowy conditions. The documentary does seem a bit padded at times, but it's mostly an enjoyable film of its own. We also get a "National Geographic: Crittercam" episode (23 minutes) focusing on the emperor penguins and the filming of the movie and finally, the film's trailer and a Looney Tunes cartoon, "8 Ball Bunny".
Final Thoughts: "March of the Penguins" is an engaging and involving look into the brutal journey that these birds take every season in order to continue on. Warner Brothers offers a wonderful DVD presentation, with excellent video quality, great audio and a nice helping of extras. Recommended.
Film Grade
The Film B+
DVD Grades
Video 92/A
Audio: 89/B+
Extras: 80/B-
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