IMAX: Under The Sea (2009/Warner Bros. Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B+/C+ Sound: B/B- Extras: B-/C Film: B-
Going out
to sea has been a mainstay for IMAX film productions for decades and it is a
great source for their remarkable series of science film shorts over the
years. Even missing its 3-D presentation
here, IMAX: Under The Sea (2009)
narrated by Jim Carrey is another winning entry, focusing on the life on the
ocean floor in unbelievably amazing and powerful images throughout that no
other format could capture the same way.
For those
who might have been concerned that Carrey would make this into a farce or
degraded joke, he actually does a good job explaining some of what is going
on. This runs 41 minutes and has plenty
of rewatchability. Director Howard Hull
makes it look so easy, but he and his crew really had to dig and search to find
such stunning footage from The Great Coral Reef to the South Pacific and every
serious Blu-ray fan should have a couple of IMAX titles. This is one of the better ones, also issued
separately on DVD.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is, of course, shot in the large 8-perf
70mm IMAX frame and the result as usual are some stunning images
throughout. Director of Photography Peter
Kragh has done this kind of work before, but not in the large IMAX frame, but
the results are impressive. Except for
some issues with minute detail, I still have to rate this Blu-ray high because
the images are that rich. The
anamorphically enhanced DVD is shockingly poor and even faded-looking by
comparison, for whatever reason. Of
course, this was a 3-D IMAX film, but is not in either format that way.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix on the Blu-ray has a good soundfield, though
Carrey’s voice is in the center channel, it is never as boxy or weak as it is
on the DVD’s Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, which cannot cut the reproduction of the
mix. This was released in IMAX houses in
the superior Sonics-DDP format and has much of that impact here.
Extras in
both formats include the featurette Filming
IMAX: Under The Sea, while the Blu-ray adds five featurettes of specific
location expeditions to Papua New Guinea
– New Britain, Papua
New Guinea – Milne Bay, South Australia, The Great Barrier Reef and Indonesia. Needless to say the Blu-ray is the better
edition all around.
For more
ocean-based IMAX films on Blu-ray, try these links:
Coral Reef Adventures/Dolphins/The Living Sea
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7886/IMAX+Blu-ray:+Coral+Reef+Adventure
Volcanoes Of The Deep/Wild Ocean
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9546/Volcanoes+Of+The+Deep+(2003)
- Nicholas Sheffo
