Sunday, August 14, 2005
The Radio Free Movie Zone
Review: March Of The Penguins
I have this thing for penguins. No- not that kind of thing, sicko. I just dig penguins. So I’ve been hearing a lot of really good things about this movie. From what I’ve gathered it was originally supposed to be just another French, National Geographic documentary. Turns out, the movie was so good Warner Brothers picked it up for major release.
And I’m glad they did.
This is the best movie I’ve seen all year, and one of the best I’ve seen ever. It has everything you need in a movie and then some.
Let me explain in terms of that of a traditional movie-
Plot: Nothing can tell a story better than reality.
It is truly eye-opening. My knowledge of the penguin was really relegated to “them funny fellers that walk funny and eat fish.“ I had no idea how brave and resilient they really are.
As the movie’s narrator (a well cast Morgan Feeman) explains very early on, it is a movie about loss, journey and ultimately, love. The whole thing centers around what these creatures do and endure for the lone sake of the family. I don’t mean the pack, I mean the individual family. It is truly astounding, their faith and triumph really can teach us a thing or two.
I have a friend who just became a daddy about two weeks ago. He popped into my head a few times during the movie as I contemplated the amount of sacrifice and love he must produce for the rest of his life. Really I think that this movie should be required watching for all parents, the penguins could teach us a thing or two.
On top of all that, I had to admit the cliché “It made me laugh, it made me cry.” These guys are so cute you just gotta crack up at them , but at the same time this story is based upon reality so there are the moments of loss, including death, that albeit is natural it is filled with sorrow none the less.
Acting:Acting? Huh? How can penguins act? Well, they can’t, but there are several times that you think that they are. You see pride in the face of a new father, as well as terrible despair in the cries of a mother who has lost her chick. It’s an ensemble cast that works well together, kind of the point of the movie in the first place. Even the environment, the harsh winds, the hungry predators, the enormity of the ice, plays an important role that cannot be left on the cutting room floor.
Direction: In addition to how amazing the reality of this story is, there is something almost as amazing lurking in the background- that this movie even got made at all.
Shot in the very depths of the South Pole the conditions are some of the harshest on the planet. That someone managed to capture it on film is a triumph upon itself. However, it paid off. This movie has some of the most amazing shots I’ve ever seen on film. Do yourself a favor, do NOT wait until this comes out on DVD, see it on the big screen.
In summation, it’s (so far at least) the best movie of the year. There’s already a lot of Oscar buzz (best Movie, not just best Documentary) and as well there should be. This movie has everything we look for in our cinematic quests.
Swim, don’t walk, and see it soon.
I have this thing for penguins. No- not that kind of thing, sicko. I just dig penguins. So I’ve been hearing a lot of really good things about this movie. From what I’ve gathered it was originally supposed to be just another French, National Geographic documentary. Turns out, the movie was so good Warner Brothers picked it up for major release.
And I’m glad they did.
This is the best movie I’ve seen all year, and one of the best I’ve seen ever. It has everything you need in a movie and then some.
Let me explain in terms of that of a traditional movie-
Plot: Nothing can tell a story better than reality.
It is truly eye-opening. My knowledge of the penguin was really relegated to “them funny fellers that walk funny and eat fish.“ I had no idea how brave and resilient they really are.
As the movie’s narrator (a well cast Morgan Feeman) explains very early on, it is a movie about loss, journey and ultimately, love. The whole thing centers around what these creatures do and endure for the lone sake of the family. I don’t mean the pack, I mean the individual family. It is truly astounding, their faith and triumph really can teach us a thing or two.
I have a friend who just became a daddy about two weeks ago. He popped into my head a few times during the movie as I contemplated the amount of sacrifice and love he must produce for the rest of his life. Really I think that this movie should be required watching for all parents, the penguins could teach us a thing or two.
On top of all that, I had to admit the cliché “It made me laugh, it made me cry.” These guys are so cute you just gotta crack up at them , but at the same time this story is based upon reality so there are the moments of loss, including death, that albeit is natural it is filled with sorrow none the less.
Acting:Acting? Huh? How can penguins act? Well, they can’t, but there are several times that you think that they are. You see pride in the face of a new father, as well as terrible despair in the cries of a mother who has lost her chick. It’s an ensemble cast that works well together, kind of the point of the movie in the first place. Even the environment, the harsh winds, the hungry predators, the enormity of the ice, plays an important role that cannot be left on the cutting room floor.
Direction: In addition to how amazing the reality of this story is, there is something almost as amazing lurking in the background- that this movie even got made at all.
Shot in the very depths of the South Pole the conditions are some of the harshest on the planet. That someone managed to capture it on film is a triumph upon itself. However, it paid off. This movie has some of the most amazing shots I’ve ever seen on film. Do yourself a favor, do NOT wait until this comes out on DVD, see it on the big screen.
In summation, it’s (so far at least) the best movie of the year. There’s already a lot of Oscar buzz (best Movie, not just best Documentary) and as well there should be. This movie has everything we look for in our cinematic quests.
Swim, don’t walk, and see it soon.
