(a.k.a “Herzog goes to the South Pole and pokes around”) Werner gets a trip to McMurdo courtesy of the National Science Foundation…they didn’t expect him to ask questions like “Why don’t chimpanzees ride goats?”.
As usual, his droll narration is almost worth the price of admission. He meets the customary out-there characters, as you would expect. He interviews a scientist about to take his last-ever dive beneath the ice, and it’s surprisingly emotional. One woman talks about seals sounding like Pink Floyd and there’s a fantastic underwater shot of a seal sliding by like a spaceship. Viewers get some pointers on Antarctic survival and tips on volcano watching, and get to see possibly the coolest rock duet on film.
I think the film will be on Discovery Channel before too long, but I’m glad I saw it on the big screen. The huge vistas and stunning underwater scenes have a lot more impact on a big screeen.