A Frosty Reception for Arctic Tale

August 17, 2007

Filed Under (Movies & Entertainment) by Angela Chih

Movie Review by Perry Pannu:

Arctic Tale
From the people that brought you March of the Penguins
In Theatres Today

Arctic Tale is a fantastic movie…for kids. As an adult, though somewhat entertained, those moments were overshadowed by some long yawn-worthy scenes. Other kid flicks like Toy Storyor Blank Checknever made me yawn. See, here’s my theory with kids: They will like almost any movie because they don’t spend their own money to see it. Parents or guardians usually foot the bill for tickets, popcorn etc., and for kids, it’s like a treat; they don’t get to go to the movies unless someone takes them. Adults on the other hand, have to pay for their movies and their own popcorn but on the plus side, have the freedom to watch four movies in one day if they so choose.

I don’t mind seeing kids’ movies. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s educational, and sometimes it’s both. I have to admit though, that Arctic Tale was mostly boring. Being able to deduce the ending before it even began may have been the problem, or maybe it was because I didn’t have popcorn to distract me, but the movie was a letdown. It was no fault of Queen Latifah I must note, as she has an amazing voice and her narration was great. I could see the parts in the script were she brought a little of herself into the story, and that was refreshing. One beef I have with the movie is the special sound effects that were added. I could have done without the cartoon-like “blips” and “boings” when one of the polar bear cubs fell. For me, that took away all the credibility for the movie. It may produce a laugh with the younger audience, but it made me question what other sounds were fake (like when a walrus releases gas, does it sound exactly like a human releasing gas?). And wouldn’t that take away from the overall message of the film? I’d love to know what you think.

Overall, I would say that you should wait for this movie to come out on DVD, but unless you are a fan of polar bears and walruses, I’d rethink even renting the DVD.