Chasing Ice - Review

Chasing Ice
(2012 - December 14)
Documentary | Biography
80 min.

Rated: PG-13
Grade: B

Director: Jeff Orlowski
Writer: Mark Monroe
Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jonatansson and Adam LeWinter | See full cast and crew

Acclaimed National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Traveling with a team of young adventurers across the brutal Arctic, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story facing humanity. As the debate polarizes America, and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Chasing Ice depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to deliver fragile hope to our carbon-powered planet. -- (C) Submarine

In order to create concrete visual proof of climate change and its effects, photographer James Balog undertook a years-long project spanning remote sections of the northern hemisphere. Multiple cameras were set up in Greenland, Alaska, Iceland and Montana in order to capture startling—yet undeniably beautiful time-lapse photos revealing the unprecedented rate that glaciers in those locations are receding. The award-winning Chasing Ice, chronicles Balog’s impassioned endeavor with his Extreme Ice Survey.

One of the problems with the film is that it is as much a biography as it is a documentary rendering a schizophrenic story as the end result. The star of the film is the time-lapse photography, and although we are appreciative of his efforts to obtain these images, just maybe we could do with a lot less of  Balog here an let his images to tell their own story. His personal story becomes something of a mill-stone, particularly when viewing incredibly awesome scenes of natural devastation that are at the very least other worldly. Mr. Balog's incessant, preachy, sanctimonious, screechy, hectoring delivery of his message comes off desperate and repelling. One example being a major hissy-fit in front of a defective camera devolving into tears. You can just imaging him pulling off a prosthetic mask to reveal a ranting, cackling, psychotic Ed Begley Jr.

Chasing Ice is undeniably a fantastic portrayal of receding glaciers but it is also an undeniably,  relentless, 80 minuet, one-sided, propaganda fest for man-caused global warming. If you buy into that line you will be very impressed and probably whipped up into a frenzy of desperation to give up, not just your own but, everyone's personal liberties to get the monstrosity of  'Cap and Trade' and the bogus carbon credits imposed.  If you are on the other side of the debate you will still be awestruck by the photography.