Movie Reviews

Move over, Steven Spielberg, Harry Potter, and King Kong: if there were a new 'bird documentary' opening this Fall, I'd be all over that before I'd even consider seeing any of your new movies.

I seem to have found myself a new favourite genre, as specific and obscure as it is. The last two bird documentaries that I've seen (okay, the only two bird documentaries I've seen) have, quite frankly, been amazing experiences for me, and I've loved every minute of both of them. The first was Winged Migration, which took me completely by surprise and amazed me with its incredible in-flight photography and up-close look at the quirks and character of dozens of different types of birds.

And now I've seen March of the Penguins, which is almost equally as amazing. There's obviously no "in-flight" photography to watch here, but the up-close nature of the film is still a beautiful sight. Compared to Winged Migration, the single-species focus of this film really allows it to tell a compelling story -- and what an incredible story it is. The things these stupid little birds go through for their yearly mating ritual and for the protection and upbringing of their offspring is truly amazing.

If I have one complaint it's that the narration (by Morgan Freeman) tends to add unnecessary levels of somewhat-sappy anthropomorphism. Is the loss of a baby penguin really "heart-breaking" to a penguin? How about "devastating"? Maybe I just haven't read the applicable papers on penguin psychology, but somehow I doubt that it is.

That’s a small complaint, though. This is an incredible film.