The hype for this film is incredible! I love this sort of story and count Winged Migration as one of my favorite and often-viewed films. I am afraid Penguins is not in that league. There are many reasons from the uninvolved narration to the leaden pace. But mainly the story is interesting without being engaging. I found my mind wandering and I wanted something to happen. The lugubrious pacing and repetition along with the questionable interpretation of the penguins motives - love, sacrifice, etc. made me wish the 80 minutes had sped by faster. So much of the "premise" was destroyed by clearly visible contradictions. The males/females love the chicks but do nothing to protect them from predators, abandon them before they are grown, etc. Okay, it is nature and I cannot expect sentimentality but then the "premise" of the love story is contradicted. I can only marvel at what happens, be glad someone filmed it and be puzzled by the inefficiency and risk involved in perpetuating the species. I also wonder if some of the underwater scenes were digital representations. I cannot prove it but some of it looked a little fake. I loved the penguins but this film did not do them justice.
Review of March of the Penguins
