March of the Penguins documents the incredible journey that emperor penguins make in order to reproduce in the barren wasteland of Antarctica. The penguins leave their ocean home to walk the 70 miles to an area further inland to meet a potential mate and produce an egg. When the egg is produced, the mother — exhausted and feeble from making it — travels back to the ocean to gather food in her belly for the offspring who is cared for by the father until it hatches. When the mothers return, the fathers, having gone without food for three months, make the 70 mile trip back to the ocean to feed themselves.
The movie isn’t so much about the what the penguins do, it’s about what they have to endure to get it done. Braving temperatures that dip to 80 degrees below zero (before the wind chill factor of the 100 mph winds is applied) and the threat of predators, it’s inevitable that some of them won’t make it. Even though this is a G-rated film, the movie does show that some eggs don’t last in the frigid temperatures and some of the chicks that eventually do hatch aren’t completely safe from harm either. If you’re planning to show this film to your children, be prepared to answer questions about the cycle of life afterwards.
Morgan Freeman, who has narrated a few projects in his time, provides the perfect voice-over for the events we get to see. Although some of the narration is a bit clichéd, most of it is entertaining and enlightening. Mostly, though, the determined character of the penguins is enough to carry the film. Their vocalizations, gestures towards their mates, and their oddly endearing waddling and sliding through the snow makes them more interesting than most of the actors in Hollywood.
From an adult perspective, the movie is interesting but lacks that “Wow!” factor of 2003’s Winged Migration, which captured fantastic shots of birds in flight as well as being chock full of interesting tidbits of information about our feathered friends. March of the Penguins does provide a wealth of information on the plight of the penguins and their march to reproduce, but it doesn’t make for quite as compelling an experience. Coming in at an hour and 20 minutes, March of the Penguins feels about 20 minutes too long.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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