"March of the Penguins" National Geographic's Best!

National Geographic's "March of the Penguins"

Who doesn't love penguins? Their little feet, little wings, their little beady eyes? "March of the Penguins"(2005), directed by Luc Jacquet, has to be what popularized all these close-encounter animal documentaries out there, it was surely the first one I had ever seen. And National Geographic must have done something right because to this day, I think of this documentary every time someone even mentions penguins. In other words, it's rememberable. 

I think it's an amazing thing that even with as little commentary as this has and zero interviews, this documentary is able to take us through and make us understand that there's a story being told here, it's more than just a group of penguins being penguins. It's a deep and thoughtful story taking us step by step through a penguins life journey. We see their determination through survival and how they live and take care of each other. 

The visuals themselves are breathtakingly beautiful, we get to see some really nice shots of Antarctica and stunning close-ups of penguins. There was also a lot of emphasis on the soundtrack, containing beautiful pieces of music which all create the ambiance and feel for what is being shown on screen. All that aside, the most impressive thing to me about this documentary is its writing. Luc Jacquet does a brilliant job as writer, adding a sentimental feel as well as showcasing the similarities of these penguins to how humans interact with each other, he does this in a very effective way, which to me, pulls with my heartstrings. 

Lastly, this is one of my all-time favourite documentaries, it makes me remember what marvelous animals these are and how hard life can really be. There are many things that people take for granted these days and watching something like this really puts you in your place. This isn't a world run by humans. Sure, some of us probably wish it was, but nothing compares to the type of survival and herculean triumph that goes on in the wild.

Trailer for "March of the Penguins":