 If you haven’t seen “March of the Penguins,” now is the time. It is a stunning movie, both visually and in its content. The narrator, Morgan Freeman carries you through an astonishing year in the life of an Emperor Penguin. “March of the Penguins” will awe you, leave you in tears at times, and in a state of pure joy at others. It is an amazing documentary of an extraordinary species. Moreover, this movie offers lessons of determination, commitment, and a love for one’s children.
“March of the Penguins” is of specific environmental interest because of the habitat in which the Emperor Penguin resides, Antarctica. The climate change caused by global warming is changing the polar habitats. They are shrinking and changing faster than the species, and many other species, including the Polar Bear, can cope and adapt.
In an era of both environmental awareness and habitat destruction, “March of the Penguins” is both relevant and significant. As with any environmental issue, the most effective way to engage people is to make them aware of the situation. But to really motivate people, to cause them care about those being affected, you have to engage them to become stewards of the environment.
After watching “March of the Penguins,” even the thickest-skinned anti-environmentalist might shed a tear. The movie, which was filmed by two isolated cinematographers over the course of one year, is a tribute to just one amazing species out of the thousands that comprise the biodiversity of our planet.
“March of the Penguins” has received rave reviews from around the world. As Nathan Rabin from The Onion put it, “The glacially beautiful documentary ‘March of the Penguins’ confirms that no computer-animated or hand-drawn penguin could ever match the curious majesty of the genuine article.” And Rabin could not be more dead-on. It’s amazing to watch the real animals in their real setting; they are not locked in some inhumane cage in a zoo where they are fed dead fish. They are, in the biggest sense of the world, acting natural, without regard to the cinematographers.
The sheer marvel of this species is enough to stun any viewer. At almost three-and-a-half-feet tall and weighing almost one hundred pounds, the Emperor Penguin is an astonishing creature. Unlike most penguins, this species dives deep (to about seven-hundred feet) and feeds on bigger prey. Other penguins mostly feed on krill.
“March of the Penguins” is simply amazing. It teaches lessons without words and stuns without overtly trying to. It is a perfect film for any age, though children younger than five may get bored with its slower pace. “March of the Penguins” is an essential watch for anyone who wants to understand the importance of habitat protection.
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