The Penguin King 3D

All credit to the makers of this nature doc for taking on the unenviable task of shooting with cumbersome 3D equipment on the harsh sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. But do we really need another doc about penguins? 2005’s ‘March of the Penguins’ covered much the same ground, only in more extensive (and moving) detail. Anthony Geffen’s film has two winning ingredients though: the reassuring tones of Sir David Attenborough, and ravishing footage of King penguins in their natural habitat. A shame, then, that the narration is too adolescent in tone and at odds with the harrowing footage of giant petrel birds picking off baby penguins. There’s little we haven’t seen before, including farting elephant seals.