DEEP SEA 3D

IMAX documentary

REVIEW
The one reason to go see this movie is because it’s in 3D. But apart from that, the stunning visuals we’ve seen before and the narration adds little to what has already been said.

What is new are the close-ups of various sea creatures devouring their food. This is too much information and frankly not all that pleasant to watch. Especially disturbing (and undoubtedly will result in some of the audience having nightmares) is the prolonged eating frenzy by huge squids. Some things are better left unseen.

CLASSIFICATION

WIRED TO WIN

IMAX documentary

REVIEW
The Tour de France has been called the world’s most physically punishing sports event. The riders are all exceptional athletes who have honed the skills required to survive the 3,000-km race, and maybe even win it. As such, they are good examples of how the human brain can “learn” a new activity until it becomes second nature. In other words, our brain becomes “hard wired” over the course of time.

Jimmy Casper and Baden Cooke, two riders for the FDJeux team, illustrate how the brain deals with pain. Although we are presented with lots of “dry” scientific facts and figures, the film also captures the majestic mountains of the alpine route. In particular the spectacular soaring shots from the helicopter of the riders are much better than anything seen on television.

CLASSIFICATION

MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION WALKING ON THE MOON

IMAX documentary

REVIEW
For most of us this will be the closest thing to actually being on the moon. The accurate recreations of several moonwalks are amazing. Interspersed with these are archival photos and television news reporting of the same events but not in 3D like the movie: what a difference that makes.

CLASSIFICATION

MYSTERY OF THE NILE

IMAX documentary

REVIEW
They say this is the first time it’s ever been done: a group travelled along the Nile by boat from source to sea. The source is Lake Tana in Ethiopia and as the longest river in the world, the Nile surges more than 3,000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea.

While primarily documenting the rafting adventure of the group, along the way we are treated to some of the most stunning aerial shots ever seen of the African countryside. With frequent stops during the four-month adventure, we get to see pyramids and people, religion and river.

However it’s a shame the producers chose to skim over several historically important areas along the Nile such as Luxor, the Valley of the Queens and Cairo. Each is given but a minute or two, hardly adequate recognition of their importance to the world’s culture.

CLASSIFICATION

VIKINGS: JOURNEY TO NEW WORLDS

IMAX documentary

BACKGROUND
The age of the Viking Ages lasted nearly 300 years from the 8th through the 11th centuries. Among other things, they are credited with being the first to reach North America well before Columbus.

REVIEW
An excellent historical overview including reference to some of the myths associated with the Vikings. As to be expected with any IMAX production, some of the visuals are absolutely stunning. It is very informative and edited so the screen fades to black just when things start to get gory.

CLASSIFICATION
for some violent imagery (mostly artwork)

P.S.
We are reminded that the Vikings are with us even today: we name the days of the week after Saxon gods (apart from Saturday). These were mostly the same gods worshipped by the Vikings. So the Viking god Woden is our Wednesday, the Thunder god Thor is Thursday and the Goddess of Love Freyja is our Friday.