Chasing Ice

National Geographic Channel | Release Date: November 9, 2012

8.2	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 21 Ratings

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Tim-TNov 28, 2012

There is no doubt this film is beautiful and powerful. It offers both irrefutable visual evidence of melting glaciers and a brief but impressive bio of National Geographic photographer James Balog. But the focus is blurred when, for example,There is no doubt this film is beautiful and powerful. It offers both irrefutable visual evidence of melting glaciers and a brief but impressive bio of National Geographic photographer James Balog. But the focus is blurred when, for example, we balance a global crisis with Balog's ailing knee. The film might have offered a single solution over a non-compliant-patient subplot. That said, it's still worth the price of admission for the photography alone.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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jiffer2387Oct 13, 2013

Visually amazing, but I just kept waiting for the science to come into the movie and it never did. Saw it in Boulder with James Balog in attendance and the only thing I got out of his comments was how proud of himself he was.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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talisencrwApr 6, 2016

I first saw this at my city's International Film Festival, then later thankfully I was able to watch it with my son, who was 9 at the time, when at a friend's place for one of the big 3 holidays, it was on Netflix. Brilliantly conceived andI first saw this at my city's International Film Festival, then later thankfully I was able to watch it with my son, who was 9 at the time, when at a friend's place for one of the big 3 holidays, it was on Netflix. Brilliantly conceived and carried out, over a long stretch of time, by the filmmakers, it led to a fine father-son discussion about the environment, its importance, what is wrong with it and what can be done to improve things on Earth. Its importance is inestimable, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is something everybody needs to see, think about and actively discuss, regardless of one's personal priorities or political sphere of influence.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Christopher_G2Mar 22, 2014

Chasing Ice is as strong a documentary as I have ever seen concerning the issues of global warming, and that includes Al Gore’s terrific Oscar winning Inconvenient Truth. It centers on a man named James Balog, a National GeographicChasing Ice is as strong a documentary as I have ever seen concerning the issues of global warming, and that includes Al Gore’s terrific Oscar winning Inconvenient Truth. It centers on a man named James Balog, a National Geographic photographer, who with a team sets an array of advanced cameras focusing on various glaciers in Greenland, Iceland and Alaska in order to see the change in the ice coverage over periods of months and years. At first the complex and fragile nature of such a program leads to great technical difficulties, but eventually they do get the program on track, and the results are no less than stunning. The film is not overtly political. It begins with a montage of “skeptics” of human caused climate change. Balog, who claims to have himself once been a skeptic, ends up getting deeply involved in the project to the detriment of time with his family and the numerous surgeries he gets on his knees. Throughout the film the science of global warming and it’s general effects on the planet is tiptoed into, but primarily it lets the visuals do the talking. This film is beautiful and disturbing literally at the same time with treks across ice sheets viewing the melting in real time, images of glaciers breaking off into the sea, and the main focus the time-lapse footage.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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TyranianDec 9, 2019

Excellent as an exposition of changes to glaciers but the accompanying alarmism isn't obviously necessary.

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StevenFJul 2, 2013

A film or documentary that will need your fullest attention, not only does James Balog, the photographer whose work is the basis of the film, tell us that we will never see some of the events that his time lapse experiments captured, but theA film or documentary that will need your fullest attention, not only does James Balog, the photographer whose work is the basis of the film, tell us that we will never see some of the events that his time lapse experiments captured, but the lasting memory is on his memory cards, and this film will live on with you, as clear evidence and concrete proof in visually spectacular yet devastating fashion is shown to the world, proof again that one of the most debated issues of this generation is indeed in full swing, severe climate change.
James tells us that is background in photography is not really there, but that his degree in geomorphology helped him realise that he had love for science, but not to to a scientist. His funded Extreme Ice Survey expedition consisted of setting up various cameras across the globe including Greenland and Alaska, to create a time lapse of images across months and even years to show just how the ice is disappearing and retreating in such a short space of time, and the visual results are staggering.
While beauty and spectacle are apparent in James' various images, the message is clear, tangible and simply cannot be ignored, glaciers retreating by miles is unimaginable yet real, and one particular scene where James shows what simply appears to be dirt in his hand, is actually a collection of various gases and algae growing in that particular area, which creates holes in the ice.
The film also outlines sacrifice, James is close to have a third surgical procedure on his knee, and the content of the documentary aside, his willingness to succeed in his mission really outlines the power of the human mind, put he is also trying so hard to make a point and for people to stand up and listen.
The most mesmerising part of the film could very well be the final video capture that shows a glacier calving, which, when measured in terms of ratio, was like lower Manhattan, its buildings and landscape, simply falling into the water, gone. This lasted 75 minutes, but the snippets shown in the film where breathtaking, but of course shocking to watch such an event unfold in such short time.
The film may spur people into action, it may leave many wondering what to do next, but it should amaze and enlighten an ongoing squabble that is very real and very much alive in the ice.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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mrniceJan 10, 2015

An issue that concerns all humans, fantastic images, and a portrait of a determined achiever. There's even a few dramatic moments related to the quest for photographies. Highly recommended!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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