This past year has truly been the year of the penguins. March of the Penguins won the Academy Award for best documentary and Happy Feet winning best-animated feature. Society?s interest has been sparked on the hard life of these amazing little creatures much in large due to the release of March of the Penguins. Politically this picture has made an impact as well, sparking debates between such political commentators as Andrew Sullivan and Rich Lowry. I think it goes without saying that a documenta…y that generates this much buzz must be worth checking out; well I?m about to find out.

Simply put, March of the Penguins is about the lives of Emperor Penguins living in Antarctica. But nothing about this movie is simple, whether it?s the expansive shots of the harsh terrain in Antarctica, or the everyday obstacles that the Emperor Penguins must overcome that could ultimately mean the difference between life and death. I understand that comparing human life to animal life isn?t a one-dimensional argument, but wondering what a life of solitude, waiting and walking would be like for a human is unfathomable.

The Emperor Penguins return annually to a specific spot to breed due to the fact that it is solid year round. At the beginning of the Antarctic summers a group of penguins march to this spot, which is only a couple hundred meters away from open water, but as winter approaches the water retreats ending up over 100 kilometers away. Journeying to this water through winds that can reach up to 300km/h the female penguins hope to find food for the eggs they have just laid. Of course with the female penguins gone the males must protect their eggs, even seconds exposed could kill the young penguin inside.

It can?t be put any simpler than that, but of course things in real life aren?t ever that simple. To appreciate what these penguins actually go through in detail you have to watch this documentary. Every little move seems to have so much bearing on what future these little guys will have.

If you?re into nature documentaries then this is a must see. March of the Penguins is very informative and interesting, spawning me to even research further into their incredible existence. My main complaint would be that certain scenes without dialogue dragged on, specifically just showing the penguins walking across the harsh snow filled tertian for a few minutes at a time. Aside from that things were well put together, the always-soothing voice of Morgan Freeman proved to be a great addition as nearly all my questions about the lives of these amazing animals were answered.

In summary, if you aren?t thrown into a catatonic state of boredom while watching highly educational pictures without any action or conversation, this is a must see. If on the other hand you?re not into learning about the lives of penguins I think it goes without saying that this isn?t for you.

Video

Presented in a 1080p 1.85:1 aspect ratio, March of the Penguins hits Blu-ray with some disappointing results. Shot in a harsh environment on a low budget, it is understandable that the transfer will suffer a bit, but I have seen far better looking transfers from documentaries in high def. Planet Earth (HD) on cable already looks better than this, and its release on Blu-ray and HD DVD this coming month will further show this. Most of March of the Penguins looks soft, with little detail seen in landscape shots, the grain also doesn?t help. There is however a few good looking shots throughout the picture though. Close up shots of the Emperor Penguins look the most impressive. The detail on the penguins feathers are impressive as is the bright orange color around its neck. Despite the overly negative tone this is still the best the film has looked, and should still be worth a look..

Audio

Warner has included a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track for this disc which provides a good presentation considering the material. As expected the documentary relies heavily on the front channels. There are a few instances where the rear channels pick up. The chilling winds of Antarctica can be heard through all channels, providing a nice sense of immersion. Morgan Freeman?s voice over work is well done, and sounds sharp. For a film that was shot in such conditions, the audio does sounds surprisingly good.

Special Features

There may only be a handful of features but each are highly interesting and should be checked out. It is too bad Warner didn?t re-master the documentaries in high definition.

• Of Penguins and Men – A 53 minute making of documentary. The amount of dedication this crew had to endure while filming is amazing. Everyone should take a look at this feature.
• National Geographic?s Crittercam – This 23 minute feature follows a National Geographic crew to Antarctica. The crew straps a camera to an emperor penguin; this provides an unique perspective when the penguin dives under the ice. Another feature that should be checked out from anyone wanting to learn a bit more about the Emperor Penguins.
• 8 Ball Bunny – A 7 minute classic Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring a a penguin in a tuxedo. Bugs must return the penguin to the South Pole. This re-master looks superb, a must see for fans of Bugs Bunny.
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts

A highly educational journey into a world that few of us will ever actually lay our eyes on, March of the Penguins is a great documentary into the desolate and harsh lives of a truly amazing animal. A must see for anyone interested in wildlife, nature, or even documentaries. The audio and video are good, considering that it was all filmed on location in Antarctica. The features appear to be lackluster in numbers, but in fact very interesting and definitely worth checking out, a nice addition to the disc. In the end, this is a worthy disc for purchase if you?re a fan, and if you haven?t yet seen it its very interesting and worth checking out.

Special Features List

• Of Penguins and Men
• National Geographic?s Crittercam
• 8 Ball Bunny
• Trailer