Engrossing documentary about Antarctica, it's landscape, wildlife and the people who study it. Herzog makes this a unique, must-watch movie.

Surprisingly boring

In my mind, Herzog continues to be a better scout for subject matter than actual documentarian. At least he doesn't attempt to overwhelm his subjects with his own persona as he did in Grizzly Man (he seems a little reverent of the scientists here), as it's definitely they who do all the heavy lifting. I found the narration mostly extraneous, and was thankful for the moments he just let the sounds and images speak for themselves. Great footage/landscape, interesting people and worthwhile overall.

Hilarious! Beautiful! Interesting!

Another fantastic Herzog docmentary.

The power of this film lies in its human component. Brilliant outcasts find kindred spirits at the southernmost part of the planet. Herzog doesn't paint these men and women as daring adventurers living on the frontier; he shows beauty in the mundane and the routine %u2014 the soft-serve ice cream and old science fiction movies. The experts and the filmmakers don't have to convince us that we're all trying to make the most of our short time; the land speaks for itself.

"Is there such a thing as insanity among penguins?" lol herzog...

herzog knows his way around a camera, and his narration always provides a soothing atmosphere. everything here is relevant, and interesting--even though the majority isn't as exotic as one would think. i'm glad herzog is as productive as he is, because he produces some great work.

Philosophizing Antarctica researchers, man's battle against nature and his own nature, and penguins wandering off to certain death. Fate in Herzog restored.

Science and philosophy on the rocks.

"Offers an experience that is best summed up by a phrase seen carved in a McMurdo wood banister: "I sink into bliss."" - Nick Schager

More than the wildlife and the land itself, it's mostly about the people who chose to live on the frozen landscape of the Antarctic. The strange and oddball folk that Herzog finds, all have very fascinating stories and views on the world, and they end up stealing the spotlight from the glorious Ice landmarks. Though I suspect that was the point, to discover what compelled Herzog and others to go into this(and other)inhospitable world. The penguin going off into the unknown marks it perfectly.

After the "pensive" scuba diver announces his supposed retirement and lists a bunch of sea monsters he's encountered (failing to mention how small they are until the end!), herzog asks him what he thinks about the idea that humans evolved from creatures that ran away from/escaped the ocean out of fear, thus luring him into unconsciously talking about himself. He successfully does roughly the same thing with the penguin man. Is it manipulative? I don't know or care. It works.

Herzog travels to a different world and can still find all kinds of interesting personalities, both human and animal. It is a world where a penguin's determined trek towards mountains seventy kilometers away that will end in certain death becomes a touching metaphor for life. And it's always fun to listen to Herzog talk, especially his sarcastic hatred for sunlight, ice cream, and ATMs.

After enduring the crap-fest that was The Wild Blue Yonder, I was extremely wary of this film, partially because it went back to the infamous underwater 'cathedral' which was brutally overused in Herzog''s science fiction Tour de Merde. Would I be subjected to a never ending string of 15 minute scenes featuring myriad floating ice shavings set to Northern African tribal chants? Luckily for me, and the rest of modern civilization, the answer was no.

About what one would expect from a Herzog documentary about Antarctica. Herzog lets us know from the outset that he isn't here to study the penguins, and his interview with a penguin expert at one point in the film makes us well aware of this (Herzog opts to ask about homosexual penguins and madness, much to the bewilderment of the scientist). Instead Herzog focuses on the variety of fascinating individuals who populate these frozen expanses.

Some beautiful shots, some interesting characters (both human and otherwise), and Herzog's great sense of symbolic irony. One part I loved was the lone penguin, mysteriously compelled to roam off on his own into the mountains to face certain death; a great allegory for human nature. Lesser filmmakers would take this metaphor and shove it down our throats, but Herzog's subtlety makes the moment resonate and we reflect on it as the themes of the movie fall into place.