LaFountaine

“The Emperor’s Journey” Movie

On Wednesday I saw the movie “The Emperor’s Journey”, which narrated by Morgan Freeman.

The storyline involved the following: “The average temperature in Antarctica is 58 below zero. This might be cruel conditions to us humans, but it's home to the emperor penguins and has been for a millennia. Each March, these penguins hop, slip, slide and quasi-fly 70 miles--yes, 70 miles--across icy terrain, and even colder winds, in search of a mate. Some will make it. Some will simply succumb to the elements along the trek. And their painstaking journey is only the beginning. Once at their destination, the emperors proceed to court one another. Plenty of jockeying for suitors ensues, in a polar tango of sorts, which is followed by all the couples gathering and, well, snuggling. From a distance it looks like some preternatural sea of blackness. Once the females give birth come June, everything revolves around tending to the egg. Oddly, the female goes back to find food while the male stays put, goes months without eating and simply ensures the safety of the egg. The only defense the abandoned, starving males have against the harsh cold is huddling together to try and keep warm. After roughly two months, the babies are born. And there is nothing more humbling than seeing a newborn penguin peering from underneath its parent's protective belly. But it is equally heartbreaking to see them come out from their shelters too soon and suffer the consequences. Soon the mother comes to save the day, feeding them, coddling them, admonishing them, and, ultimately, leaving them to eventually do what they just did on their own.”

I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. It was an excellent wildlife movie, though it was a little grim.

posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 11:47 AM