Worth: $13.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Tim Jarvis, Rupert Degas
Intro:
… there’s a made-for-TV feel that the documentary never manages to shake off.
It’s easy to see why the story of Anglo-Irish explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, has had several screen outings – including a Kenneth Branagh-powered TV miniseries. It’s an incredible true story of survival – a team of 28 men (with their pack of sled dogs) on a mission to cross Antarctica become trapped in sea ice in 1914, battling frozen conditions and dwindling supplies in perhaps the most unforgiving region on Earth.
This Australian made-for-IMAX documentary has its strong points, especially the impressive archival footage and photos from the expedition and crisp cinematography of present-day Antarctica. However, it’s somewhat repetitive and with its bloated melodramatic soundtrack, there’s a made-for-TV feel that the documentary never manages to shake off.
Being an IMAX feature, Shackleton – The Greatest Story of Survival is more about images than exploring questions about Shackleton and his crew. Words from Shackleton’s own journal form part of the script – and thankfully, his words are vivid. “I ask myself, ‘Why on Earth one comes to these parts of the Earth?’” Shackleton writes. It is a question that’s not answered. We learn little of his background or motivations. We do learn of his incredible leadership skills, keeping his crew motivated and positive under life-threatening conditions, as they set up camp on a “floating cake of ice” – abandoning their original mission and transforming a tale of exploration to one of survival.
Much of the documentary covers British-Australian Tim Jarvis’ recreation of Shackleton’s journey – minus the luxury of modern equipment. Jarvis is an impressive narrator and works climate change into the narrative. It’s jaw-dropping when images of the region in Shackleton’s time are compared with those of today, showing a frightening loss of ice.
Some documentaries, regardless of their subject matter, can be enjoyed by anyone. This isn’t one of those. To be fair, it’s made for the giant IMAX screen but when translated to the humbler small screen, it’s barely an above-average experience.
