Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
When National Geographic photographer James Balog asked, “How can one take a picture of climate change?” his attention was immediately drawn to ice. Soon he was asked to do a cover story on glaciers that became the most popular and well-read piece in the magazine during the last five years. But for Balog, that story marked the beginning of a much larger and longer-term project that would reach epic proportions.
Chasing Ice is a compelling environmental documentary anchored by stunning, painstaking time-lapse cinematography of glacial retreat — its genuine standout quality. James Balog's dedication and the visual evidence of climate change captured over years makes for striking imagery that elevates the film well above average in cinematography. The narrative arc is reasonably engaging, following Balog through physical hardship and obsession, though it follows fairly standard documentary conventions. Acting/subject presence is earnest but unremarkable. Novelty is decent — the Extreme Ice Survey concept and the sheer scale of the visual project give it a distinctive identity, though environmental documentaries are a well-trodden genre. The ending delivers emotional weight with the calving glacier sequence but wraps up conventionally with a call-to-action resolution.