Bashing the viewer over the head with both a global warming message and Queen Latifah’s meandering narration, Arctic Tale is an interesting to look at piece of filmmaking with little to connect the images. The edited Arctic footage barely comes together to form the loose story of a polar bear and a walrus as they struggle to survive numerous hardships. Unfortunately, it’s never that compelling.
Spectacular here are the underwater images, some which get as close as touching the animals with the camera. It’s stunningly beautiful, and never feels repetitive. The amount of varied life forms keeps the film interesting, though the focus is always the main two “characters.”
As the animals begin their lives, the nature footage kicks in. At times, it’s blatantly obvious the shots used were inserted solely for the purpose of the script. These unnatural moments pull the viewer out of the experience, and it’s apparent that you’re never seeing the original bear or walrus as the film moves on.
Queen Latifah is no Morgan Freeman, who would narrate the same filmmaker's documentary March of the Penguins. Her lines are delivered with an extra layer of cheese at times that even kids could see through. The script is no help, and neither are the pathetically added sound effects at times.
If you’re not a believer in global warming, this is the time to turn back. It’s surprising how they avoid the actual term “global warming” until the end credits. Still, the message is clear. Kids on the other hand, who this is definitely aimed at, will come away with the idea the real villain is a male polar bear and never look at them the same way again.
Its heart is in the right place, but Arctic Tale tries too hard. The footage, while spectacular and unique, doesn’t make for a believable tale. As a straight documentary, this would have been fascinating. With the generic story slapped on it, it’s not entertaining. 
HD fans who were blown away by Planet Earth thanks to its flawless video and expect the same here are going to be disappointed. The problem has nothing to do with the transfer. The source is the issue, as not everything was done in HD, especially the wonderful underwater footage which is marred by murkiness and bleeding color.
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