Secrets of the Penguins

I love national geographic and films where I am able to become more knowledgeable about nature and animals. Unfortunately, I was forced to move on and select something else. I actually turned it off. The low narration quality adversely impacted my enjoyment level. I didn't trust the actor selected to promote the dialogue in this film. I love penguins, and was looking forward to watching this film. Then I found out who was narrating it and became very hesitant. I decided to go ahead and try it, but was not able to enjoy it. The producer could have been more careful in the selection of the narrator.

Fascinating show. I really enjoy penguins, and Bertie Gregory does a great job filming them. He captures many playful moments, and goes a little into depth on what multiple months look like for a few different penguins. Particularly emperor penguins and their journey to adulthood.

What brings the show massively down is having to listen to Blake Lively try to narrate it the whole time. Goodness, it is nothing personal, but she's trying to be David Attenborough and just can't do it. Not her fault, but please don't let her narrate any more nature docs. Perhaps she thinks the audience is only 5 year olds that have never seen a penguin. Idk.

I'm also not sure the script was double checked, because episode two has to mention the Earth is getting warmer at least 80 times. Not attempting to start a global warming debate, but relax people I just want to watch some penguins live.

Not sure if this is helpful, but just some thoughts I had. Better narrator with some plot enticing and you're easily looking at 6 or 7/10 instead.

I am surprised that some of the low ratings that are based solely on the narrator's voice. As a photographer and filmmaker, the images are simply extraordinary, and it is essential to remember that documentary shows of this nature are 90% visual and 10% audio. Perhaps the narrator is not David Attenborough, but to discount the entire show just because of her voice seems unjustified.

Bertie Gregory's work is simply a masterclass. His patience and his range of compositions are without equal, and I remember gasping several times, admiring what he did in the field.

If I had one complaint, it would be the overdone editing at times that creates a narrative that is too cute. But overall, the one-of-a-kind visuals showing our natural world in all its splendor should be celebrated, leaving us with a sense of wonder.

The fact that people are giving this amazing documentary a lower rating than it deserves, just because they don't like the narrator, is sad. Beautiful pictures and an amazing production showing things that have never been in the filmed before, with footage of the darkest and brightest parts of different species of penguins. Simply lovely.

Maybe Blake Lively could have done a better job with the narration, and that's on National Geographic, but if that makes an almost 10/10 documentary a seven for you, you are overreacting.

I think there were two things that this documentary could have improved on:

1. Length. He could have easily being a five episode documentary, there is so much information that could have been shown more in depth. Still the quality of the three episodes was a 10.

2. Awareness. They mention how human beings have been part of the reason why penguins are an endangered species, but this could have been an opportunity to bring into scale how much damage we are making, who are responsible and what we need to change.

Overall a 9.5 out of 10 documentary but still could have improved just a little bit. I loved every single part of it.

The penguins are beautiful. Blake Lively's voice is not. She sounds like someone's coworker would when you show them a picture of your baby and they think the baby is demonically ugly but can't say it. So bored. So boring. It was like having to clean your ears in a world where all Q-tips are replaced with sandpaper. I don't care about what she does but I hate her for disgracing these innocent penguin's lives with her horrendous vocals.

Anyways I ended up putting it in a Hungarian dub. I don't speak Hungarian but it's better than Blake Lively's stupid voice. No idea what the Hungarian lady is saying but it's great.