Blu-ray Movie Reviews

This documentary chronicles the real-life adventures of two arctic creatures struggling to survive in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Queen Latifah narrates the tale of Nanu the polar bear cub and Seela the walrus pup with their mothers close by to offer protection and guidance.

If the purpose of a documentary is to educate, Arctic Tale fails miserably. The film preaches the political message that we, the human race, are solely responsible for the polar caps melting. I hate to be preached to in this way, so I really didn't enjoy that aspect of the movie.

The AVC encode boasts some terrific scenery of the frozen North Pole, although the video quality is a bit rough around the edges. Dark scenery is plagued with video noise and some minor macroblocking, and underwater shots have lots of banding. Detail wavers more toward soft than sharp, but colors are decently portrayed, although white is the predominant hue, so don't expect a rainbow of color.

Given its documentary roots, expectations from the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack must be kept in check. The narration by Queen Latifah is intelligible and the accompanying music isn't overpowering. The surround speakers feature some ambient effects, especially during an Arctic blizzard, but it's otherwise an unremarkable experience.

The supplements include two standard-definition featurettes that run a combined 31 minutes and a high-definition theatrical trailer.

Billed as a family film, I found the blatant political message a turn-off. A much better explanation of the North Pole can be found on BBC's wonderful documentary Planet Earth, which offers a far superior presentation as it educates without indoctrination.

Release Date: April 21, 2009
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 6/10
Sound: 6/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics