Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A point off for giving so much screen time to the Asian-American woman who jabbers endlessly in her dumb New Age hippie manner. It's these kinds of over-emotional, childishly over-sentimental dreamers (read: fools) who are diluting the once-great Western civilizations. It's people like her (unsurprisingly women, far too often) who are making it increasingly difficult to vote into office politicians with common sense (read: non-Marxists), and who – with their boundless naivety - are making it increasingly easy for Islamic terrorists to have their way. Listening to this woman's hormonal, bird-brained, idealistic drivel reminds me for the umpteenth time why I am right-wing hence a Martian on this goofy little planet.But I digress. AAYOI isn't about her, though one might assume she co-produced the damn thing, seeing as how her opinion is shoved down the viewer's throat on just about every topic the film touches. Every five minutes her mouth opens and puke comes gushing out. I certainly hope she doesn't represent the majority working at those South Pole stations. If those adventurer communes down there are made up of wide-eyed mindless hippies, count me out: visiting Antarctica would be a great experience, but could we right-wingers have our own base, just for ourselves? These touchy-feely soft-heads would be too much to have to deal with – especially during the long winters when it'd be literally impossible to get away from these knuckleheads (save for seeking refuge inside the mouth of a walrus). Fortunately, most of the other interviewees don't appear to be lobotomized hippies.What was Powell thinking, giving this airhead so much jabber-time? Powell is obviously a top-notch pro when it comes to filming landscapes, but as a person he is very average in every way. He reminds me of a chartered accountant: dull and unexceptional. He makes an "observation" that cold is a relative thing when you live in the Antarctica – as if the "discovery"/realization that everything is relative is some kind of new insight, some philosophical breakthrough that needed to be shared with the viewers. Perhaps that's why he found the airhead American woman so fascinating, interesting enough to give her the most screen time of all the people he interviewed. I'd much rather listen to experiences from level-headed, down-to-Earth humans than deranged cloud-9 peaceniks. When I want fantasy bubbles I watch "Star Wars", not neo-hippies.The scenery is terrific, as was to be expected, but the film offers more: there are many little things - related to the weather for example – which provide some of the highlights. The way snow fills up "sealed up" rooms is one of them. The way a hot drink evaporates in a millisecond when exposed to freezing temperatures is another. It's little details such as these that make the film better than "just" a collection of beautiful images, which in itself would have been sufficient.Nevertheless, there is one "fact" Powell got wrong, and that's penguin intelligence. There is a (admittedly hilarious) caption I have an issue with: "Penguin intelligence: similar to chickens". Anyone with half a pigeon-brain must have the intellectual faculties to notice the self-apparent difference in intelligence levels between a chicken and a penguin. It's especially amazing to get this kind of misinformation from a guy who has spent countless hours staring at penguins from up close. Or is the real problem here that he is suffering from Antarctic Alzheimer's (briefly mentioned in the documentary) hence can't really remember anymore what chickens are like? Come on, penguins are smarter than that. Certainly they're a lot smarter than that hippie woman - who (I believe) is smarter than a farm chicken.Less anti-penguinism and less hippie woman, and this would be even better.

Several years ago I watched Werner Herzog's documentary "Encounters at the End of the World", and I know that I would be interested in this movie.It's hard to say this movie is better. They are both similar, but the photographer in "Antarctica: A Year on Ice" had the time to think and explore and set up shots that are just out of this world. I feel like I had the wonderful experience of living in Antarctica and for that I am thankful to this movie.I won't go on at length, because this is a movie that has to be experienced. I sadly notice that some people have rated this low and it is hard to believe. Were they forced to watch it? I can't figure out why other than they are just not ready in a place to experience this idea.This would be a little like going to another planet or living in a generation ship, isolated from humanity and yet maybe feeling your humanity so much the more.Great movie ... 10/10.

I feel like I learned so much about living on the continent, something most docs never really show(at least human life).Although subjects like the interaction between humans and other animals on Antarctica were very quickly touched upon, the imagery from the filmmaker told a story he didn't need to share with words.It was so beautifully shot by Antony Powell whose 13 years living on the ice met he knew his subject well enough to capture every thing the Terran is.I love the fact that the movie starts out with the section of Antarctica not always fully covered in ice. I knew it existed but It's always weird when it's mentioned (or seen). It sets the tone that your going to learn something new from this doc, and I did.I got a feel of what it's like to live in the arctic from people from all walks of life who do it year long. Not just scientist and military types,but regular people like fire men and store clerks (who run convenient stores on Antarctica). Living with each other in the most isolated place imaginable. I got to see what I've only read about, like the four mouths of never ending darkness after the four mouths of never ending sunlight. The monstrous weather. I got so see what these conditions do to humans like a brain freeze that makes you loose your track of thought and how living through the harsh winter makes you interact with others who don't.And of course we got to see penguins (and other animals as well).It was just a beautifully shot and interesting documentary from a filmmakers personal experience. Fantastic!

After watching Antarctica: A Year on Ice, you'll run out of superlatives to describe the experience, I still have a hard time explaining my experience over there due that people that have not been there can't really get it. But this Movie will give you a glimpse of the experience one have or will have if you get to be there.But really How do you share your thoughts about a place which defies description? a place vital to our planet, but which the vast majority will never go there.Why The title? After a few Combat tours one does lose some Humanity but working in Antarctica it help me deal wit the war demons. It was my experience but each person is differentEventually I may go back wit my wife :D