To the Arctic
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: April 20, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
USA TodayScott BowlesApr 19, 2012
Visually stunning and narratively stunted, this IMAX documentary is the family version of 2006's "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary on global warming. Read full review
70
MovielineAlison WillmoreApr 20, 2012
To the Arctic uses spoonfuls of cuteness - featuring walruses and caribou, though polar bears are its primary animal stars - to make its fairly grim environmental message go down a little easier. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenApr 19, 2012
Meryl Streep narrates a heartwarming documentary for an up close look at Arctic wildlife. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJanice PageApr 19, 2012
More storytelling and less preaching would have served those messages better. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumApr 18, 2012
Filmmaker Greg MacGillivray, a specialist in gigantic-screen nature movies including "The Living Sea," is up to date in his use of 70mm IMAX film, but he's stuck in the past about how to tell a story. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie PunterApr 19, 2012
After seven trips made over four years, the production was about to wrap when the crew, aboard an icebreaker, encountered a polar bear mom and twin cubs that decided to hang around for a week – offering a rare opportunity to film the daily life of these notoriously camera-shy creatures. Read full review
50
The New York TimesDavid DeWittApr 19, 2012
The threat of global warming to their habitat is spelled out simply in the narration, delivered by Meryl Streep. Otherwise, To the Arctic is a little dry. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternApr 19, 2012
To the Arctic 3-D is an impassioned plea for action on global warming, and the passion is intensified by the music. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin ChangApr 19, 2012
Alternates between intimate wildlife saga and majestic views of the North Pole, offering strong visual compensations for its meandering structure, syrupy tone and excessive sampling of Paul McCartney's back catalog. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezApr 17, 2012
Though the film is light on anthropomorphization, its aesthetic is nothing if not infantile. Read full review
40
Time OutSam AdamsApr 17, 2012
Somebody give Werner Herzog an IMAX camera already, and let's see what a real filmmaker does with the format. Read full review
38
New York PostLou LumenickApr 20, 2012
Yes, there's some spectacular footage. But there's also an awful lot of filler for a 40-minute movie. Read full review
30
Village VoiceNick PinkertonApr 17, 2012
Arguably a good lesson for kids about preserving our environment, To the Arctic is definitely a threat to our equally endangered good taste. Read full review
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