March of the Penguins

I love penguins, always have. They’re fuzzy, regal, cute, cuddly, birdy and well-dressed. Being a penguiphile (made that word up just now), I’m obviously a bit late on the bandwagon for this movie, not only one of the surprise hits of the summer, but one of the biggest documentaries of all time. On the surface, this is nothing more than a feature-length National Geographic special, but unlike those distant, observatory “educational” docs, March of the Penguins rises to the level of great movie because of one thing: storytelling.

Documentarian Luc Jacquet builds a story of perseverance and devotion from the honest emotion of the penguins themselves. It is a story both tragic and hopeful, as the emperor penguin makes its annual autumn trek nearly 70 miles from shore to their Antarctic breeding grounds. The penguins complete a triathlon of sorts in their pilgrimage. Excellent swimmers, the caravan is nevertheless on foot. When the penguins tire, or cannot tread with their waddling steps, they plop down on their bellies and toboggan across this icy desert.

As the penguins make their way back home, Jacquet and cinematographer Jerome Maison capture the danger and beauty of this little-tread continent. The journey, though long and arduous, is the easiest part of the penguin winter. From here on, the temperatures drop, the food is scarce and the only thing the penguins have to survive is their will and unity. Only by joining together—first to find a mate, then to keep each other fed and warm—do the penguins live through the winter and live on for another generation.

Narrated with a warmth only Morgan Freeman can provide, the film wisely speaks only when it has to, letting the marvelous landscapes and penguin personality tell much of the story. Never boring, March of the Penguins works as a nature documentary, family movie and penguin love story all at once. If you don’t have a smile on your face by the time the little chicks take their first dip into the springtime ocean, your heart is even colder than an Antarctic winter.

Grade: A