I won't be the first to say that when it comes to narrators for wildlife-themed documentary films, Queen Latifah is not the first name that springs to mind. In Arctic Tale, the latest film to pile on to the nature-docs-from-the-ends-of-the-earth trend, Latifah ultimately acquits herself just fine as a narrator (though a kitschy soundtrack is no help at all), but you can't help but wonder what Robert Redford or Morgan Freeman would have done with the material.

Arctic Tale offers the story of life north of the Arctic circle: But rather than cuddly birds we follow a polar bear and her cubs as well as a walrus and her calf. As you might expect, life in the Arctic ain't easy, even for native creatures. I am reluctant to note this here, but that life is so tough that one of the three baby animals seen in the film actually dies onscreen, and the other two get awfully close to it, too. When you live on the ice, it seems, you either eat or get eaten.

Created by National Geographic, rest assured you're getting the unvarnished truth in Arctic Tale, so what it lacks in dramatic writing in the narration it makes up for with a realistic look at how tough these animals actually have it. That's worth something on its own. However, those expecting a March of the Penguins-like good time are going to hit eject on the DVD player feeling awfully depressed. That is, if the kids aren't already in tears by the halfway point.

The DVD includes a few making-of featurettes.



A little long in the tooth.