7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 2.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family. This courtship will begin with a long journey - a journey that will take them hundreds of miles across the continent by foot, in freezing cold temperatures, in brittle, icy winds and through deep, treacherous waters. They will risk starvation and attack by dangerous predators, under the harshest conditions on earth, all to find true love.
Narrator: Morgan FreemanFamily | 100% |
Documentary | 32% |
Nature | 28% |
Foreign | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Each year, during the onset of winter, Emperor Penguins hike in a long trail over the ice to their
ancestral breeding ground in Antarctica. There, each penguin pairs with a mate to produce an egg.
The female props it atop her feet, keeping it warm under her belly. Her body taxed to the brink of
starvation from her gestation, she must gently transfer the egg to her mate and return to the
ocean to feed during the darkest days of winter. This behavior sets up one of the most remarkable
spectacles in all of nature: a tightly packed crowd of male Emperor Penguins, each carrying an egg
on his feet, huddled together in the most remote, harshest environment on Earth.
Battered by blizzards, the penguins take turns on the outskirts of the herd, where they
shield others from the cold and wind. In the dead of winter, the eggs hatch and the males attempt
to keep the chicks alive until the females return with their bellies full of food. The half-digested
nutrients are regurgitated to provide meals for the young. After a time, the adult penguins return to
the water. Their offspring must fend for themselves until they are ready to take the plunge into the
nutrient-rich ocean for the first time in their lives.
With snow sticking to its downy coat, a chick finds itself exposed to the elements for the first time.
The VC-1 codec delivers a high quality, 1080p picture with scads of detail. From the crevices in ice
floes to the sheen of penguins' coats, the images are well-resolved. Even the film grain itself has
good definition. That inevitably leads to complaints among some viewers. Overall, the contrast is
good and black level is spot-on. Since the camera crew and equipment is nowhere near the
quality of Planet
Earth, viewers expecting March of the Penguins to be of equal image clarity and depth
may be disappointed. But compared to NTSC, the resolution is downright mesmerizing.
The icescape of Antarctica is an interesting backdrop. It provides plenty of contrast but
not much variability in color. For that matter, the penguins are not particularly colorful either.
Aside from the yellow sun and yellow coloration around the upper part of the adult penguins, the
video is quite monochromatic, but what it lacks in color vibrancy, it makes up for in contrast,
shapes and depth. The views of the terrain with the penguins slowly walking in single file in the
distance show good presence and enough resolution and richness to give the illusion that you can
step into the picture and join the hike. Even the underwater views deliver good views of the
penguins, which transform from slow, clumsy creatures on land into graceful, lightning-fast
swimmers.
The soundtrack is what most people might call boring. Freeman's voice is fairly monotone, even compared to other documentaries he's narrated, including an energy-related documentary recently braodcast in high definition on my local PBS affiliate. The music also lacks punchy dynamics, but each instrument is well resolved and actually quite engaging. No one will want to show off the audio capabilities of their HT system using March of the Penuins, but it is an effective soundstage, engineered appropriately for the documenary.
The most entertaining supplementary content is a featurette on National Geographic's crittercam, which is a small camera mounted on various animals. The focus of this featurette is of course the application of the crittercam to Emperor Penguins for a "bird's eye" view. The special shows how the camera is mounted to the penguins, using straps that look like a little vest. Highly entertaining footage of the penguins in action is also shown. Rounding out the bonus features are a rather silly classic looney tunes cartoon entitled 8 Ball Bunny in HD and the original National Geographic theatrical trailer of March of the Penguins.
While some might consider March of the Penguins just another boring documentary from National Geographic, the remarkable plight of Emperor Penguins does make it special. The danger of predators and deadly cold weather, the frailty of the eggs and chicks, the penguins' devotion to their mates and their offspring and indeed their ritualistic trek to their breeding grounds--it all makes for highly entertaining and occasionally humorous viewing. The Freeman narration is interesting and informative. But let's face it: we wouldn't really care if the penguins--especially the chicks--weren't so darn cute. It is also a nice escape to visit the ice world of antarctica in 1080p. Highly recommended for documentary buffs, naturalists and animal lovers.
La marche de l'empereur / Academy Awards O-Sleeve
2005
La marche de l'empereur / Academy Awards O-Sleeve
2005
La marche de l'empereur
2005
Disneynature
2007
DVD Packaging
2012
Disneynature
2016
2017
2003
2011
2010
The Original UK Series
2011
2007
BBC / Narrated by David Attenborough
2009
Disneynature
2009
DVD Packaging
2011
2006
2011
IMAX
2009
Disneynature
2015
2016
IMAX
2006
2022
2013