Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure

Want a movie that brings a tear to your eye? How 'bout one that shoots a giant spray of saltwater in your face? This Omnimax feature, the latest in a series of films depicting Sir Ernest Shackleton's exploration of Antarctica, is a moving introduction to what may be the most violent man-versus-nature battle in recent history. The Endurance was grueling enough, but seeing reenactments and actual footage from the 1914 journey on the big, big screen feels like watching a boatful of Jonahs set sail directly into the mouth of the beast. They see land! But the ice crushes their boat! So they escape on life rafts! But they run out of food! And then they find land again! But pulling the boat to shore is impossible! Above all, Antarctic Adventure is a bizarre study of Shackleton's almost pathological optimism in the face of the most dire circumstances. Although the movie is not the most thorough account of the expedition, it might well be the most visually stimulating. And after you're done witnessing dozens of men's faces turn from a fleshy pink to a sickly and frostbitten black, you'll leave the theater happy to be alive. (Melissa Maerz)