March of the Penguins
National Geographic Films | Release Date: June 24, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
35
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
An astonishing documentary. Read full review
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The movie pays tribute to sexual equality and to each gender's agility and strength of character. Read full review
100
The New YorkerDavid Denby
A perfect family movie, a perfect date movie, and one of the most eye-ravishing documentaries ever made. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The film that results from Jacquet's application is gorgeous and even inspiring, a tale of loyalty hard-tested and hard-earned, a sumptuous travelogue, and a reminder that some of the critters with whom we share the planet are, in ways, as complex in their feelings as any human being. Read full review
90
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Jacquet's movie is as visually ravishing as "Winged Migration," and more gripping. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
The glacially beautiful new documentary March Of The Penguins confirms that no computer-animated or hand-drawn penguin could ever match the curious majesty of the genuine article. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Thrilling documentary. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
As uplifting as anything you will find in theaters. Read full review
90
SalonStephanie Zacharek
There's more drama, and more heartbreak, in March of the Penguins than in most movies that are actually scripted to tug at our feelings. Read full review
90
SlateDavid Edelstein
Remarkable. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
Jacquet's penguins are as absorbing and incredible as any man-made phantasmagoria you'll find in the multiplex this summer, and it's all real. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A cinematic experience that is dazzlingly different from anything currently in theaters, March of the Penguins captivates with its straightforward but powerful story of dogged determination, survival against harsh odds and sacrifice. Read full review
88
New York PostLou Lumenick
A remarkable, eye-popping nature documentary. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It's poignant to watch the chicks in their youth, fed by their parents, playing with their chums, the sun climbing higher every day, little suspecting what they're in for. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The best action movie of the month contains chase scenes, fights, a love story, exotic locations - well, one exotic locale, snow-blasted Antarctica - and a battle for survival against long odds amid brutal conditions. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Luc Jacquet's exquisitely shot eye-of-God study of a year in the lives of these distinctive birds is a nature film built with a feel for the epic and a love of operatic narrative. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
This sentimental but riveting film has no qualms about playing on our emotions. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Watch them march to the very extremes of extremis, though, and it's easy to feel awe.
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A nature documentary that captures the ferocity and heroism of nature. Read full review
80
Film ThreatJeremy Mathews
The film goes beyond a nature movie with excellent photography and the determination of the animals it documents. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
Astonishing if imperfect nature documentary. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
A delightful, wholesome experience for the family. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
It doesn't take a screenwriter, for example, to point out the uncanny fact that, when two parent penguins perform a neck-curving pas de deux above their tiny chick, they resemble nothing so much as a perfect heart. Read full review
75
PremierePeter Debruge
If anything, it's the degree to which the animals differ from us that makes March of the Penguins so fascinating. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
When it comes to cute, this baby is off the charts. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
The director's tenacity has resulted in a breathtaking as well as heartbreaking adventure of life and death. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Touching and brisk. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
Mostly it's an incredible tale of ritual and perseverance. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Concise and intriguing. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Michael Moore might want to look into this before more animal docs steal his thunder. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe Leydon
Sometimes harrowing, sometimes hokey, sometimes heartwarming nature documentary. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Schickel
It's a gentle film about somewhat alien beings, who entertain us by creating instead of destroying. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Some of the eggs fail to hatch and some of the chicks die, and the parents' cries are painful to hear, though what they're really crying for is the future of their species. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Parents of young children should be warned: Here's a family-values film that won't be much fun for the whole family. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Does what all good National Geographic documentaries do: it informs and entertains while providing interesting wildlife footage. Unfortunately, it's not cinematic. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The penguins' matter-of-fact victory over some of the Earth's most punishing conditions is astonishing enough without the epic airs. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'Hara
It's a missed opportunity to make a great documentary, but still decent family entertainment, with awe-inspiring Antarctic scenery and some very cute stars. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The Central Park Zoo is cheaper, you can walk away from the penguins after 10 minutes, and it has snow monkeys and beer. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
As a zoological spectacle the movie is riveting. But the narration tries to make us think of these adorable animals as if they saw the world in human terms. Read full review
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