Click The Banner Above To Support This Site
|
The film: "The Living Sea" is not one of the best IMAX films that I've ever seen, but there are a number of fine moments. It tries to show us both the inhabitants of the world's oceans and our relationship with them, but the film doesn't manage to come together in the end. Rather than going into much detail during any one scene, it has a number of segments that are beautiful, but don't have much depth to them - and most end rather quickly before the film moves on. While it's pleasant, it's a light IMAX movie. The photography is gorgeous, and the underwater sequences do show off the creatures nicely, but when the film concluded, it didn't really stick with me. Narrated by Meryl Streep. 40 Min. The DVD A number of companies are now releasing IMAX films on DVD, including a major studio(Tristar with "Thrill Ride"). None of them, though, are doing as good a job as Image is. Their recent IMAX film "Beavers" looked great, and the image quality of "The Living Sea" is marvelous. The full-frame image is crystal clear and razor sharp, with very good detail. Colors are beautiful and natural, with the colors of all of the undersea creatures standing out against the deep blue of the water. The lack of any sort of shimmering or pixelation gives the image a very pleasing and enjoyably clean feel. There's some slight scratches on the print used, but that's about it. Another strong IMAX effort from Image. The sound quality is very nice, but it's not really the most agressive sounding IMAX presentation I've watched. With many scenes taking place underwater, there's mainly just the score and narration(by Meryl Streep) going on. There are some nice uses of sound during the film's above-water segements, though. The score by Sting sounds fantastic, and comes through with impressive clarity and presence. The force of waves are felt nicely, as well. The narration by Streep as well as the occasional dialogue are both very natural and clear. There's some nice extras included, as well. Image does really fine work putting together a nice extras presentation for their IMAX discs, and this is no exception. First off, there are 4 trailers: Dolphins, The Magic Of Flight, Stormchasers and The Living Sea. Also, there are text notes about the director. The main extra, though, is the "Making-Of" documentary, which, at 37 minutes, is only a few minutes shorter than the movie itself. There have been a number of excellent documentaries about the making of IMAX films, and this is one of the better ones I've watched - I found it more interesting than the movie itself. There are a number of in-depth interviews with the producer and director that take us through all of the steps of making an IMAX film like this one. The documentary takes us through all of the problems that the production had to go through, especially when filming underwater. Menus contain slight, but enjoyable animation, as well as the score playing in the background. Image has also provided clips playing in the chapter selection menu, which is always a cool feature. DVD Grade:A- Film Grade:C+ BACK TO THE SITE: Listing Of DVD Special Sales Back To A Guide To Current Film A List Of Current/Upcoming DVD For Sale Soundtracks For Current Films |