All Rise...

Appellate Judge Tom Becker's mating rituals often begin with the gift of krill.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of March Of The Penguins (published November 29th, 2005), March Of The Penguins (Blu-Ray) (published April 9th, 2007), and March Of The Penguins (HD DVD) (published April 19th, 2007) are also available.

The Charge

Another uplifting journey of hope and discovery.

The Case

In 2005, if you weren't talking about Brokeback Mountain, the movie you might have been talking about was March of the Penguins, the extraordinary French documentary about the journey the Emperor penguins in the Antarctic take each year to their mating and breeding ground. With its fascinating story and exceptional visuals, the film captivated audiences, becoming the second-highest grossing documentary of all time (behind Fahrenheit 9/11) and winning numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary. Adding to the appeal of the film was the back story of how Director Luc Jacquet and his crew traveled to the Antarctic and endured arduous conditions, including sub-freezing temperatures, in order to get the footage they needed. The DVD release of March of the Penguins included a featurette, "Of Penguins and Men," chronicling the production of the film.

Warner Bros. is now rereleasing March of the Penguins as a companion disc for On the Wings of Penguins, a documentary about African penguins.

On the Wings of Penguins is a perfectly charming and informative program, the kind of thing you might see on The Discovery Channel or National Geographic. The narrator—who, I believe, I've heard on other nature documentaries (or, he's just got that kind of a voice)—gives us background on African penguins, which are a warm-weather variety, so they're popular attractions at zoos and aquariums. Much of the film, in fact, takes place at penguin habitats and features commentary from penguin caregivers.

In addition to the zoo and aquarium sequences, we learn about penguins that were rescued after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans; travel to South Africa with some penguin conservationists; and are treated to a lengthy sequence in which a team of doctors performs cataract surgery on a senior-citizen penguin.

These are all very nicely shot and narrated, and comfortingly, everything turns out well. While this makes Wings of a little easier to watch than March of, it also makes it less compelling. While March of gave us the birds pretty much on their own and didn't shy away from the rigors and perils of the march, Wings of is more a man-and-bird story, and an uplifting one at that. It's heartwarming to see how dedicated people are to helping out our flightless friends and it's educational, as well. It just lacks the life-and-death drama and beautiful vistas that we got in March of the Penguins.

The March of the Penguins disc is the same one that was released before, with a great-looking transfers and the same slate of extras: "Of Penguins and Men," Crittercam, and the cartoon "Eight-Ball Bunny." On the Wings of Penguins sports a full-frame transfer for its shot-on-high-def source and no extras.

If you already have a copy of March of the Penguins, On the Wings of Penguins does not necessitate an upgrade. If you don't own March of, you should. It's one of the great nature documentaries, and if you think of Wings of as a cool bonus disc, then this package is certainly worthy of a recommendation.

The Verdict

The birds walk, though some walk taller than others.

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