The NY Times was calling this a "sleeper hit" this morning. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/w...iew/24murp.html

But don't be decieved. This is a by-the-book, totally uncreative, standard nature documentary, not unlike what you could see on the discovery channel and considerably worse than the offerings at the IMAX theater in any natural science museum. Morgan Freeman sounded like he was about to yawn in mid-sentance half the time, and you'll get tired of hearing the phrase "and some of them will not survive it" by the fifth repetition.

The underwater photography is also digitized, to the point you can see the pixels, dark, and blurry. The nature cinematography is attractive, it's hard for it not to be, but nowhere does it even come close to the beauty of 'Winged Migration' which some have been comparing this to. (They're out of their minds).

It's straightforward and unimaginative in almost every possible way. In short, the film basically follows the migration cycle of a bunch of anonymous penguins, through the standard one year. It doesn't focus on any individuals in the group, it just has one long voice-over discussing what the penguins are doing. You do not form an attachment to any penguin, and it does not especially dramatize any of the dangers very well. For film buffs, this movies offers next to nothing of interest. Unless you are already a fan of wildlife photography and nature documentaries, don't even bother going. Fortunately I only went to a matinee, so I only waste $5.50, and 2 hours of my time.

If you want to see a creative documentary, there are SO MANY better choices out there. It's almost impossible not to do better than such a completely unimaginative film.

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Recommended.

I, Claudius
Tiberius: "Rome deserves you. I'm going to nurse you like a viper in her bosum."
Caligula: "Is that a joke, uncle?"
Tiberius: "Not yet, but it will be."