March of the Penguins

A very enjoyable - and actually also uncomfortable - documentary about the lives of penguins, how complicated it is for them to have offspring, and how they cope with it. What I like about the documentary is that it simply observes, doesn't intervene, yet also doesn't attempt to embellish. Nature is cruel, but animals can cope with its conditions. (12/21/2016)

As fascinating as The March of the Penguins is in itself, it is wrecked by the terribly infantile narration with zero information value. This applies to the French version; apparently the American version is considerably better in this respect. Beautiful images enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack, but unfortunately the “storylining" narration brings it down to the level of entertainment for the very youngest of viewers. Which is a great shame, since the creators were on their way to creating an outstanding and fascinating documentary about the will to survive. Paradoxically, I would prefer to see a documentary about the filming of this, rather than the end product. (06/11/2007)

The instinctive desire to survive, the incredible power of motherhood and the cold aesthetics of ice temples; when these come together, hand in hand with a soundtrack that fits the mood of the film, nothing but an impressive documentary worth watching can be created. I would not condemn the commentary, it was nice, it aptly illuminated the behaviour of the protagonists, perhaps only occasionally slipping into pathos at the very limit of tolerability and the child's voice was mostly annoying, but that doesn't change the fact that in the context of other nature documentaries, this one is one of the best. It manages to captivate and move. I understand the favourable critical and box office response. And I must confess that I love penguins! :) (11/19/2006)