Volcanoes Of The Deep (2003) + Wild Ocean
(2008) (IMAX/Image Entertainment Blu-rays)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C+ Films: B-
Originally
issued in IMAX 3-D, Image Entertainment has issued the pretty impressive IMAX
releases Volcanoes Of The Deep
(2003) and Wild Ocean (2008), both
of which show nature in ways never seen before by any kind of camera. As 2-D only Blu-ray editions, there are
hardly any shots that look phony or forced as if to test and show-off 3-D, but
the 70mm IMAX frame has so much depth and detail, they do not have to.
Volcanoes Of The Deep joins Ghosts Of The Abyss and Aliens
Of The Deep as the kind of underwater exploration documentary James Cameron
was producing between Titanic (1997)
and Avatar (2009). Delving into the deep sea with the latest
technology and robotics, it is a great trip into the discovery of life rarely
seen and is as strong as the other programs, even though Stephen Low directed
this one and Cameron did the other two.
They know what they are doing and what to look for, bringing you in on
everything and it works. Ed Harris (who
starred in Cameron’s The Abyss)
narrates this strong 40-minutes long presentation. It is sadly reported that this advanced,
thorough science piece was banned for political reasons in the South.
Wild Ocean was made five years later, but is
just as strong and even manages to have two directors (Luke Cresswell and Steve
McNicholas) who manage to mesh their work (the opposite happens in 99% of such
cases). Shot off of the coast in Africa, this is one of the richest of many great IMAX
films featuring sea life and though many such shows have popped up on TV lately
shot in the latest High Definition video, nothing can beat the best shots form
the original 70mm IMAX film frame. This
runs a healthy 45 minutes and is another great piece of work.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on both have a mix of softer than
expected images, some solid images and some truly great demonstration-quality
images that would look good in any home theater. The best shots you could never get from any
HD today and proves once again 70mm film and other large frame formats are the
way to go. Deep has many shots that are almost all black, which will test any
serious system, while Ocean has even
more shots that test depth reproduction.
The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix on both is pretty good,
but voice over narration can be too much towards the center channel in both
cases at times and sound boxed in.
However there are more than enough surround moments in both to make up
for that and challenge your system, with Deep originally issued in the fine
Sonix sound format. Extra on both include
interviews segments, trailers, quizzes, behind the scenes featurettes and
educational video.
- Nicholas Sheffo
