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 - Wildly overrated but nicely filmed.I saw this finally with great anticipation. It was one of the highest grossing and best-reviewed documentaries in years. Wow, was I disappointed. NOTHING. HAPPENS. There is one, I repeat one, moment of suspense in the entire show (when a mother who has lost her chic tries to steal another). In a 15 second flash, it's gone, and we are back to Morgan Freeman's soothing-yet-sleep-inducing narration. Otherwise, there is no great revelation in this piece. There no moment of amazement. I love nature shows. I watch all those discovery, national geographic, Nature, shows, etc. I thought this was a good, albeit long and boring one. So I give it three stars. But there isn't any of the sense of wonder or enlightenment that you find in other, better productions. The cinemetography is brilliant. Some amazing shots. And the idea of having a crew sit in Antartica over winter is a fascinating story itself. But the Penguins just don't have any interest for me. I will give one example, but this is how the whole movie is. Of course not all penguins live through each year and each breeding season. Of course some eggs do not hatch and some young do not make it. In a good documentary, though, there would be foreshadowing of this fact before and exposition after. Not here. Here, we get 10 minutes of the father penguin hiding his egg in silence, and then Morgan Freeman breaks the silence with "of course, not all eggs make it" and two seconds later, we get a picture of a freezing/frozen egg. And then that's it. No exposition, no foreshadowing = no emotional reaction. I give it three stars for the photography. But good documentaries establish an emotive experience and build a relationship between the subject and the viewer. This -- especially in light of how wildly it's liked -- was a great disappointment for me in that respect. Rating:  - THINK about it !!!I love penguins, BUT haven't been able to look at a baby penguin the same way. This movie was so sad. If you look at the "making of the movie," it shows their ICE-BREAKER SHIP coming to pick up the film makers. It almost hits a penguin standing nearby. How many ice-breaker ships go there and tear up the ice where the penguins have to walk? Every country has SCIENTISTS there. Where does all the WASTE go from all the scientists and others living there? What happens to the ATMOSPHERE from the VEHICLES they drive. There are more and more TOURISTS and news REPORTERS going to see the ice melting--which means more ice-breaker SHIPS. What is really causing the ice to melt? What about the HOLES the scientists are continually DRILLING through the ice with the big machines. How many holes before it cracks the ice? When you CHIP AWAY at a block of ice doesn't it MELT FASTER?! Rating:  - A very good job of personifying the penguins, helped byMorgan Freeman's narration. It is a year in the life of Emperor Penguins. Their life, like all animals is dictated by their environment. Antartica does have distinct seasons & during their summer, it can be quite habitable. But not winter with it's eternal darkness. The penguins endure. There must be quite a few of them since we are told that only 10% of the chicks survive. They fall victim to cold, starvation, predators & loss of either one of thier parents. A more nuturing father in the animal kingdom you may never see. All march from their feeding area to their breeding area maybe up to 70 miles. Shortly after mating the mother lays one single egg she transfers it to the father. This in itself is a pains- takingly slow process & many eggs crack & perish. Once sucessful,the father sits on the eggs for several months in the dead of winter while mom leaves to feed. Dad is unable to feed all this time. In several months the mothers that have survived their own ordeals return, fat with full bellies to feed their chicks. They grow fast & soon all trek back to the feeding grounds. At this point, the families break up, never to reunite. The adults return to the sea. The chicks are left & of course eventually they go for their first swim. The sea is, after all the penguins natural habitat. The young penguins will stay for 4-5 years, at which time they too will pursue a life cycle of marches. Rating:  - great documentary about penguinsThis documentary is great for both entertainment and education purposes. It gives more than just information about penguins' life but a love story. Strongly recommended. Rating: - March of the Penquins DVD - a must seeI loved this movie. I am so glad to own it. It was not only a fascinating story, but the film making was outstanding. This movie is timeless. I recommend it for all ages.
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