5/5 Wonderful Exploration Film
  by Dr. P L Barsanti (New Jersey)
I first watched this on Sundance Channel & knew I had to share this film with my friends that are science and exploration fans. The documentary leaves you with mixed emotions on what it must be like to stay for months in one of the most remote locations on Earth. It's an amazing journey with unexpected scientific discoveries.

5/5 the authentic experience of researchers in antarctica
  by K. Frazier
This is an amazing look at the people who inhabit Antarctica today. These are modern day explorers venturing deep into the interior to conduct climate research, and also the men and women who keep McMurdo Base running. An up close and intimate look at living and working in Antarctica. No penguins. Beautiful cinematography. Really amazing views that I have never scene before. Definitely worth the watch.

5/5 Wonderfully shot,
  by John Chang (Los Angeles, CA)
This is a beautifully shot film, a must see in high-definition. There is no over-dramatization or attempt to alter the reality of life of researchers in the world's toughest research facility--Antarctica. The serendipitous discovery of the fossil by the small team of researchers captured in the film is a bonus (it later made big news, which indicated that the Polar region was much warmer than previously thought) If you appreciate the artistry of good film-making, this one is not to be missed.

5/5 Reply to Mr. Vanderveen's review
  by Sharon (New York, NY USA)
In Mr. Vanderveen's review, he complains that some of the conversations in ICE PEOPLE were staged, and that the filmmaker, Anne Aghion, had a particular point of view about those conversations. As a representative of the film, I would like to clarify that ICE PEOPLE is an experiential film--it's meant to give you the feeling of what it's really like to be working in science in the world's most remote and extreme environment. As such, it would have defeated the director's own intention, as well as that of the scientists, students and support staff who participated, to have staged any of the conversations between people appearing in this film. I'm sorry Mr. Vanderveen didn't enjoy the movie, but I wanted to make sure that the facts were correctly presented. (By the way, take a look at the ICE PEOPLE website for a slew of wonderful reviews from scientists, movie critics, students etc.)

2/5 Big disappointment
  by Cornelis J. Vanderveen (Kansas City KS)
Antarctica is a beautiful continent and one of the last few pristine places left on Earth. The vast expanses of ice almost beg for any photographer to go there and convey the story of the continent to those who cannot experience it first-hand.

This movie follows a group of four geologists on their science trip to the continent. The views are impressive indeed. But, after ten minutes or so, it's like watching grass grow, or snow blow across the Minnesota Plains. There is no explanation of what these geologists are doing in Antarctica (as an aside, the Dry Valleys, where these geologists are conducting their research, are not exactly representative of the continent - there's no ice there!). We hear one of them talking about how scientists seek answers to questions. That's fair enough, but having sat through the entire movie, I'm still not sure what the question was. Sure, some general reference to "Global Warming" and its potential impacts, but how does finding a few fossil leaves fit into this? And then we jump back and forth, it seems, from McMurdo to the remote Dry Valleys camp (note that nowhere in the movie is it mentioned that we're in the Dry Valleys), and to somewhere else. Anyone who has not been there is by now likely to be lost.

And there's the students. Two PhD scientists and two grad students participated in the trip. We see the "real" scientists (mostly the younger one) dig enthusiastically and find the fossil leaves. The grad students are relegated to walking around with what looked like GPS antennas - for what? Maybe this is how this particular team operated, but it's hardly representative for US field programs where everyone, students and profs alike, have to pull their weight and contribute equally to the success of the field season. Here, the students came across as excess baggage.

Ah, and the staged discussions are annoying, to say the least. Maybe the team had some discussions about Science and Religion, but the few seconds in the movie were utterly unconvincing and came across as truly staged - including the senior prof scrubbing a pan while explaining his views on Science (true, of course) and Religion (the loser, of course). And the Christian student seemed uncomfortable throughout the entire discussion.

None of the scientists, students, and support personnel are introduced throughout the movie. At the end, there's a list of names "in order of appearance" - as if you can remember who came first after watching this for 77 minutes.

Maybe this is the way to present Science in Antarctica in a "artistically correct" way. I found this movie utterly boring and I'm glad I didn't spend the few hundred bucks for the "Educational" version (allowing me to show this in class). I certainly won't show this in class, or, for that matter, anywhere else.

You might want to consider the OSCAR-nominated "Encounters at the End of the World" instead.