In the Arctic, 25 percent less land is covered by ice in a typical summer today than it was in 1980. If current trends continue, the summer ice will be completely gone by the year 2050. To the Arctic is a strikingly gorgeous 40-minute film by director Greg MacGillivray (The Living Sea), producer Shaun MacGillivray (Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk), and writer-editor Stephen Judson (Everest) shot on location in the Arctic Circle in the IMAX 3-D format. The film focuses in on the special relationship between a mother polar bear and her two young cubs and offers a first-hand look at how climate change and the shrinking ice is threatening the polar bears' continued survival. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking, allowing viewers not only a unique look at the icy glaciers and waterfalls of the Arctic, but a rare close-up look at a family of polar bears as they grow, swim, hunt seals, protect one another from predators and aggressive males, and struggle to survive in a world of melting ice. The underwater scenes of the polar bears swimming are especially stunning, and there's also some great footage of walruses, migrating caribou, and Arctic birds. Meryl Streep sets just the right tone with her compelling narration, inviting viewers to experience the love between the polar bears and the desperation of their struggle to survive. The Inuit people comment on how weather patterns have changed over the years, and a fellow filmmaker and biologist offer a few words about tracking caribou migration. The film also reminds viewers that the entire world depends on the cooling currents from the Arctic and that the ocean's increasing acidity carries dire global consequences. Composer Steve Wood makes an unusual choice in utilizing songs by Paul McCartney, but his uniquely scored arrangements of melodic snippets are quite effective. The film ends with the stirring suggestion that while a mother polar bear will gladly sacrifice everything for her offspring, she is powerless to fix the changing climate, which threatens her entire species.
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