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The Movie:
(Review by Mark McLeod, 4/9/02)
It's pretty sad when I can say that all but one of my recent experiences
with Imax films have come sitting on the couch in my home theater. It's not
that I don't enjoy the Imax format or that there isn't a large format
screen nearby because in the greater Vancouver area there are no less the 4
venues capable of showing these films. I think it's related to the cost
factor although really that's probably less of an excuse now then it was
two or three years ago. In my neck of the woods Imax costs $10.00 for a 40
minute feature and quite frankly that's a bit expensive. That's what I was
telling myself two years ago and I'm still using that excuse today even
though the majority of first run 35mm theaters are now hovering on and
above that price. What's even sadder is that I have a free pass to use and
I decided to pass up the chance to see "Journey Into Amazing Caves" on the
giant screen in favor of relaxing at home.
"Journey Into Amazing Caves" is the latest Imax feature from
MacGillivray/Freeman Productions which is lead by one of the format's
pioneers Greg MacGillivray. MacGillivray has made 9 large format films
including the ground breaking "Everest" and "Dolphins" which just so
happen to be two of my personal favorite films from back in the day. This
time MacGillivray has taken his crew deep into the deserts of Arizona, the
ice caves of Greenland and the underwater caves of Cancun, Mexico.
The film begins near the Grand Canyon where the temperature can reach
upwards of 125 degrees during the afternoon. It's here we meet Nancy
Aulenbach and Hazel Barton two of the world's premier cavers. Nancy is a
teaching assistant at an elementary school when she's not out searching
through undiscovered caves and Hazel is a biological expert who studies the
samples she finds on her expeditions. Their purpose for caving is to
discover new bacteria that could eventually lead to cures for diseases and
other sorts of ailments. The technical term for this bacteria is
"extremophiles" which is named after the remote locations where these
bacterial cultures form. They repel down the side of a huge cliff looking
for entrances to these wonderful and often sparsely explored caves. After
collecting a sample they kayak down a nearby river looking for other caves
they can explore.
The second location they visit is vastly different from the first as it's
in the Arctic tundra of Greenland. They are joined by a French expert who
is trained to work and explore in the extreme cold. They can't just go
into the cave at any time and they have to sit around and wait for a cold
spell before it's safe enough to make the descent into the dark ice cavern.
The objective of this mission is to obtain a sample of ice from as far down
the cave as possible. Ice is not the most stable element by design and the
fact that the ice could crack at any moment will keep people on the edge of
their seats. I know I was.
For the third and final stop on their trip Hazel and Nancy travel to
Cancun, Mexico and the tropical forests of the country. They traverse the
area in a unique sort of off road vehicle that constantly breaks down. Once
they find a suitable location they prepare for their most dangerous
expedition yet. An underwater cave that's barely lit and where a wrong turn
could lead to a disaster of catastrophic nature.
As is expected from a MacGillivray/Freeman Imax production the technical
aspects of the film are downright stellar. Even more so to someone like
myself who's biggest adventure in the outdoors was the occasional ski trip.
The imagery captured by Brad Ohlund, Gordon Brown, Howard Hall and Wes
Skiles is among the most impressive ever shown on the large format screen.
There isn't a minute that passes by that doesn't contain some sort of
ground breaking shot. I can only imagine the lengths it took to get these
shots and I congratulate everyone involved with having the guts to risk
their lives in order to allow others to be brought into these magnificent
locations. The musical score by the Moody Blues is also quite good and
provides a number of different type pieces to accompany the on screen
action. One noteworthy musical contribution is a haunting orchestral piece
with choral type singing. It's really fit in quite well with the stunning
imagery. "Star War's Episode One's" Liam Neeson provides the narration and
does a flawless job of keeping the audience well abreast of the more
technical details of the exploration.
Imax is primarily an educational format but it's best when the learning is
mixed with a believable and fun story. After all when learning isn't fun
the impact it has is lessened. The subject matter contained within quite
frankly normally wouldn't be at the top of my list of things I'd like to
know but this documentary did it's job and made learning about caves fun. I
know that "Journey into Amazing Caves" is successful because after viewing
the program. I took the movie trivia quiz and earned the grade of a "B" the
first time through. "Journey into Amazing Caves" works well as both an
educational tool and as an exciting way to pass 40 minutes. It's a fun,
exciting and riveting look at an under appreciated aspect of our natural
world. Recommended.
Documentary Rating : 8.5/10
The DVD
VIDEO:
The theatrical ratio for Imax presentations on the big screen is
approximately 1.44:1 and being so close to the full-frame ratio of 1.33:1
this has caused most Imax DVD releases to presented in that format. However
Image Entertainment has recently started offering their Imax titles in both
1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full-frame transfers on the same
disc and "Journey Into Amazing Caves" is no exception to this policy. This
review covers the 1.85:1 anamorphic version of the film. Visuals are a big
part of the Imax experience and this disc has them looking downright
amazing. Deciding where to begin has never been more difficult as aside
from a few minor issues this is a gorgeous transfer. The film is so sharp
and finely detailed that it's like you have your own private window
overlooking the action. Colors are well saturated and show off the
locations used throughout filming beautifully. The blues in the ice caves
were some of the nicest shades of blue I've seen outside of photoshop while
the dusty browns and oranges of the Arizona desert prove that all browns
don't need to look bland. The sheer number of different shades of green in
the forests of Cancun is also quite impressive especially considering that
I've never really been an outdoor type of guy.. There's nothing much to
report in terms of problems with no noticeable print marks or scratches,
only a slight amount of minor pixelation and one or two instances of edge
enhancement. I did notice some grain in a few shots but given the difficult
nature of filming in those remote locations this might be considered a
trade off for the imagery. Image Entertainment really does a splendid job
bringing this film to the home viewers with such a high quality video
transfer.
Video Rating : 8.5/10
SOUND: The Imax format means big picture and big sound and this disc doesn't
disappoint in either area. Image Entertainment presents "Journey into
Amazing Caves" with a handful of audio options. The audio options you can
choose from depend on which video option you select. The widescreen version
offers up English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS mixes while the Full-Frame
presentation gives the viewer a choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes in
English, French and Spanish. The DTS mix is not available with the
full-frame option. Imax discs like "Destiny in Space", "Mission to Mir"
and "Super Speedway" have often been considered demo worthy material and
while "Journey into Amazing Caves" doesn't quite reach the same level it's
still backed by a strong audio mix. To begin with the elements present in
the mix are all very high quality and as such lend themselves nicely to
this mix. The dialogue and narration are clearly heard at all times
standing out against the occasional the odd all out assault of the sound
effects or the musical score. The musical score featuring new music from
the Moody Blues sounds excellent and really fills the room with it's rich
presence. In the I can't believe how cool that sounds section of this disc
we have a couple of scenes involving kayaking and ice climbing that sound
as good as anything I've ever heard on DVD. Surround speaker usage is
frequent and often unforgiving and the same goes for the LFE channel. In
the age old DD vs DTS battle the DTS track comes out the clear winner as it
features deeper and more sustained bass as well as a warmer more enveloping
surround sound presence. However, regardless of the mix you select you'll
be entertained by this film's audio.
Audio Rating : 8.5/10
EXTRAS:Recent Imax releases have been split between Warner and Image
Entertainment with each company having different ideas on what should be
included as bonus materials. The former has included simple featurettes in
the five to ten minute range while the latter has included extensive making
of documentaries and other quality special features.
The major special feature included here is a 40 minute look at the making
of "Journey Into Amazing Caves". Running for the same length as the main
feature this is an excellent behind the scenes documentary. Made up of a
mixture of on-location and interview footage we learn about all the
technical and physical obstacles the crew went through. In Arizona the crew
braved extreme heat, exhaustion and massive cliffs to film the scientists
at work. This is nothing however to the ice caves in Greenland where
everything had to be lowered into the cave on one single rope. From a film
making standpoint the most impressive technical feat in this film is the
underwater exploration sequence. Given the small dark caverns of the cave
and that Imax cameras can only hold three minutes of film at any one time
the fact that the shots seemed so seamless is damn impressive. Other
obstacles the production had to overcome include rain storms, large animals
and dangerous terrain. The interviews are also informative giving the
viewer insight into the motivation and thought process utilized by the film
makers and the film stars. Overall this is a great companion piece for the
main feature and well worth the time investment.
For those of you who want to learn more about caves. "Caves Books" provides
a text list of suitable reading material for both adult and children. This
is just a simple list of a few books that you could pick up at your local
library or bookstore.
Since Imax is an educational format there's a good chance that someone
might use "Journey Into Amazing Caves" as an educational program in the
class room and for those teachers the disc includes a 10 question multiple
choice trivia quiz. Be sure to pay attention throughout the film to find
the answers to these questions. They are fairly easy and I got 8 out of 10
correct on the first try. If you get all ten correct then you are presented
with a Bonus video which is a short (5 min) featurette.
Also included are the trailers for other MacGillivray/Freeman Imax titles
"Dolphins", "The Magic of Flight", "The Living Sea", "The Discoverers" and
"Storm Chasers" and a director biography.
Extras Rating : 8/10
Final Thoughts: "Journey into Amazing Caves" is an excellent film in all respects. It works
on so many levels from educating viewers about some of the caves present on
our earth to the downright amazing photography. It's fun to follow Hazel
and Nancy as their passion for their job is unrivaled. Director Greg
MacGillivray has once again come up with a complete winner. Image
Entertainment's DVD offers excellent audio and video quality and a "Making
Of" documentary that's almost as good as the film itself. There's no reason
not to check out this DVD and if you have a chance to see this one on the
big screen please don't make the same mistake I did. Highly Recommended.
Disc Rating : 8/10
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