Penguins

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: April 17, 2019

7.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Ratings

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MarkHReviewsApr 26, 2019

You have to appreciate the commitment and tenacity of the crew that created the amazing nature footage for “Penguins.” Conditions were so difficult because of cold and wind that crew members would work in six-week stretches before needing anYou have to appreciate the commitment and tenacity of the crew that created the amazing nature footage for “Penguins.” Conditions were so difficult because of cold and wind that crew members would work in six-week stretches before needing an extended break, even though they were filming in the “summer” season in Antarctica. The results of their work are truly breathtaking – memorable images of the stark beauty of one of the most inhospitable places on earth, a sense of the vast scope as half a million penguins are on the move, nerve-wracking close-ups of the penguins dealing with their nemeses – predatory birds, leopard seals, killer whales. Most of all, the viewer is offered a detailed portrait of the life of the Adelie penguin –arriving on land at the start of the summer season, males building nests, couples finding or rediscovering a mate and having chicks, parents preparing the chicks for their first swim north at the end of the season.

The crew painstakingly chronicles the unique lives of these penguins. When the males arrive at the breeding ground, they ritually collect rocks, the only available material for nesting. Female penguins evaluate the males, in part, by the number and quality of rocks in their nests. The vocalizing and neck-rolling of the courtship is oddly poetic. The penguins’ ability to protect their eggs during katabatic winds that can gust up to 150 mph and last for days, all with temperatures well below freezing, is stunning. The tenacity of parents taking turns making the 100-mile round trip to the ocean to gorge on fish, then return to the nest and regurgitate their catch to feed the young, is inspiring. Unfortunately, some of the choices of the creative team made me want to replicate the penguins’ regurgitation ritual. In fairness, given that the production company’s iconic symbol is a mouse anthropomorphized as Mickey, I probably should have seen it all coming. In the opening scene, Ed Helms (serving as narrator while also vocalizing the primary character’s internal monologue) tells us, “This is Steve.” Rather than being portrayed as a fascinating bird following his natural instincts, Steve is saddled with a variety of unjustified human characteristics – perpetual tardiness, bumbling earnestness, anxiety at being a first-time dad. In a courageous creative leap, Steve’s Adelie penguin mate is named Adeline. Helms tells us solemnly that Adeline is “patient” with Steve’s eccentricities.

The musical choices are quite memorable, just not in a good way. To underscore the initial courting ritual, the creative team demonstrated its taste for understatement and literal lyrics by offering REO Speedwagon’s “I Can’t Fight This Feeling.” Later, as the penguin pairs separate at the end of the summer to swim north in their same-sex groups, presumably overwhelmed with a human sense of wistfulness, Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again On My Own” makes an unwanted appearance.

Despite capturing effectively most of the important details of the lives of Adelie penguins, the film does not utter a syllable to discuss that their habitat is changing rapidly. According to “Smithsonian Magazine,” Antarctica lost 250 billion tons of ice in 2017 alone. Overall, “Penguins” is an opportunity missed. Go see the film for its amazing visuals, just wear your ear buds and listen to Enya and the whales instead of the soundtrack. Or better yet, rent “March of the Penguins,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2005.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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MaxPeskyMay 25, 2019

I Was Amazed About This Movie Had Ed Halms As Narrator From this Movie, Sometimes, I Kinda Love this Movie

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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