The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie Review

Does the crew of the Sedna IV have endurance?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 2, 2011

The ghost of Ernest Shackleton, whose doomed ship Endurance was famously icebound in the Antarctic in 1916, haunts virtually every frame of the Canadian documentary The Last Continent, and it’s a ghost who might be heard to be taking the documentary’s subject crew to task for daring to complain about their Antarctic plight when they are surrounded by such modern day conveniences as satellite television, shortwave communications, abundant light and heat and, lest it not be mentioned, a lot of food. If Shackleton proved the resilience and perseverance of the human spirit, what is one to make of the crew of the Sedna IV, a Quebec-based research ship that set off in 2005 to winter in Antarctica in order to get first hand documentary evidence of climate change? We get a lot of agonizing debate amongst this baker’s dozen of crew members, some of whom, like the documentary’s director Jean Lemire, seem intent on living the “adventure of their lives,” while others bitch and moan about not being around for their child’s birthday party or, even more incredibly, wondering what will happen if some hypothetical relative of theirs were to die while they are ensconced in ice a world away. This focus on the crew’s malaise is part of what at least partially hobbles The Last Continent, a documentary which intercuts actual footage of Shackleton’s doomed expedition along with copious quotes from the explorer (delivered in an archly pretentious manner by narrator Donald Sutherland, who can’t quite decide if he should clip all of his vowel sounds with a faux British accent). But the frequent comparisons with Shackleton only point out how good the Sedna’s crew has it, especially (especially) when it turns out an unseasonably warm winter prevents the ship from ever getting icebound at all.

Antarctica has typically been home to over 20 million square kilometers of ice, but because of the less than hospitable conditions down there, very few people have attempted to stay there long enough to see exactly what is going on over the most frigid winter months. Enter the Sedna IV, which wants to be one of the first ships to actually stay through the worst months to see firsthand what the effects of climate change and global warming may have on this region. Sutherland’s narration makes it clear that there are already some presuppositions firmly in place, notably that the Antarctic is warming five times faster than the rest of the world, so any climate change deniers should probably steer clear of this documentary lest their blood pressure rise, along with the planet’s temperatures.

What can’t be denied as the Sedna IV settles into its Antarctic adventure, is that things never get as cold as they should, at least according to history’s traditions. The Sedna IV finds a secluded bay next to an abandoned Argentine research station in the Melchior Archipelago, expecting the ice pack to show up at any moment, but instead the unseasonably warm weather not only keeps the water flowing, it actually brings in some dangerous storms which require the Sedna to retreat from its harbor and once again take to the open seas.

Part of the problem with The Last Continent is that it sets itself up as a piece which is going to examine climate change in a first person, up close and personal, manner. But what actually happens is that the scientific aspect of the piece is relegated to anecdotal sidebars, and in fact only really comes into play when the ship isn’t icebound and must quickly evacuate the Melchior Archipelago in the midst of a scary storm. We get lots of shots of icebergs melting into the sea, and lots of talk about the lack of an icepack, but The Last Continent seems fairly resolutely focused on the interactions between the crew. If it’s taken on those terms, it’s certainly interesting, but anyone coming to this piece expecting a devastating critique of the horrors of climate change will no doubt be severely disappointed. Instead The Last Continent focuses on the melancholy which slowly infects the crew, a melancholy which is at least temporarily interrupted by such diversions as being able to catch part of the World Cup on an old television they manage to hook up to a gigantic satellite dish still at the Argentinian research station.

Where The Last Continent succeeds on a sometimes staggering scale is as a travelogue. This is one of the most artfully constructed documentaries showcasing the natural world of the Antarctic ever brought to the screen. Lemire has helmed a really brilliantly shot film, one which travels from a breathtaking straight down shot taken from atop the Sedna’s mast to the frolicking undersea life which is caught in any number of submerged footage. We’re privy to some amazing sights here, including some hearbreaking moments of animals meeting their demises.

The Sedna IV spent 430 days away from its Canadian berth, with the bulk of that being at our planet’s southernmost tip. As a personal story, The Last Continent, while sometimes pretentious, is often quite disarming and enjoyable. (One has to wonder why Lemire has to hand write his entries in a journal while portentously intoning his words—are laptops with word processing software not available down there?). But as a environmental screed, The Last Continent is strangely ineffective. That may actually be a recommendation to some potential audience members who are sick and tired of having global doom and gloom pummeling them from any number of media outlets.

The Last Continent has become something of a phenomenon in Canada, especially in its "home" of Quebec, where it's become a rather unexpected box office champion. There’s little doubt that explorers and filmmakers like Lemire are helping to make the world at large more aware about the dangers we face, especially if we continue to ignore the warning signs of climate change which seem to be growing with every day. The Last Continent may not succeed as a scientific exposé, but in its own way, showing us the wonders and worries of what’s happening in Antarctica, it may in its own small way help the cause its filmmakers are so obviously interested in.

The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Continent debuts on Blu-ray with a VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. For the most part, this is an appealingly sharp and well detailed transfer that offers nicely saturated colors and is able to handle the many gradations in the white-beige end of the spectrum easily. The predominance of white never leads to overblown contrast and there are no issues of blooming to report. There are occasional issues with digital noise, specifically with regard to some nighttime shots, and there are also passing issues with minor aliasing and shimmer from time to time. The image is suitably sharp and clear and some of the footage in this documentary is truly awe inspiring, presented here with appealing detail and really excellent depth of field.

The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Two lossless tracks are offered, the original French in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, and the English narrated version, similarly in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There's really not much surround activity here save for Simon Leclerc's nonstop underscore, which will either thrill or annoy, depending on your personal tolerance for this kind of scoring. Sutherland's narration is crisp and clear, anchored resolutely front and center, but even his delivery may drive some people crazy. When was the last time you heard a narrator laugh at his own "joke," albeit one scripted in the narration? Be that as it may, this track offers excellent fidelity and clarity with no problems whatsoever.

The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Profile of Simon Leclerc (SD; 7:48) looks at the film's composer and the scoring of the film.
• Leopard Seals (SD; 6:44) takes an up close and personal view of one of these gigantic beasts—get a load of the huge wad of mucus hanging off of his nose in the first shot.
• King Penguins (SD; 3:46) follows the frolicsome antics of these creatures.
• Falkland Islands (SD; 3:06). This featurette seems to be misnamed, and the original French title is "Marine Encounter," which more aptly describes its look at dolphins and pot whales.
• Shooting the Opening Scene (SD; 3:50) shows how fiendishly difficult even a "simple" tracking shot is in the frozen wastes of Antarctica.
• October 14, 2005: Setting Out to Sea (SD; 5:10) takes a look at the Sedna's home city of Quebec.
• December 1, 2005: Wandering Albatrosses (SD; 5:45) is centered on the appropriately named Bird Island, and takes a look at the mating habits of these creatures.
• December 20, 2005: Fur Seals (SD; 4:16), also on Bird Island, visits the island's large population of seals.
• May 15, 2006: Do You Believe in Giants? (SD; 4:18) features some great underwater footage of whales in action.
• May 29, 2006: Melting Glaciers (SD; 5:28) looks at various bergs dissolving into the sea, with the attendant effects that has on various species.
• July 3, 2006: Summer Solstice (SD; 5:58) is another oddly named (or at least dated) featurette, as this piece correctly points out the Solstice is on June 21.
• Trailer

The Last Continent Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Continent gets to its environmental point in a rather roundabout way, and that may either bother some people, or actually please them. The best part about this documentary is unquestionably its staggering visual sense, and for the sights alone, this documentary has a lot to recommend it. As a scientific foray it falls notably short, and the human element will probably end up annoying a lot of folks, especially with the nonstop comparisions to some real heroes, namely Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance. But for those gorgeous (if sometimes troubling) shots, if for no other reason, The Last Continent is Recommended.