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Antarctica: An Adventure of a Different Nature (IMAX) [Blu-ray]
![Antarctica: An Adventure of a Different Nature (IMAX) [Blu-ray] Image](/shop/cache/B000VJHM7O.jpg) |
Manufacturer: Razor Digital Entertainment
Find all by Razor Digital Entertainment
Directed By: John Weilev
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Theatrical Release: December 3, 1991
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $19.99
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Starring: Debuted in IMAX theaters nationwide
True to the IMAX tradition, Antarctica is replete with breathtaking aerial and underwater footage of the earth's highest, coldest, and driest continent. Most folks' TVs are 4,500 times smaller than an IMAX screen--too small to duplicate the acrophobic-stomach sensation that is the hallmark of the IMAX in-theater experience. All the same, like most IMAX movies, Antarctica has some of the best production values on film today. The story begins with a flock of penguins above--and below--water, and moves to gargantuan underwater ice sheets and then to a look at Antarctic climatic changes. Watch scientists locate and extract ancient ice to analyze preserved bubbles of ancient air, as well. Explorer Robert Scott makes an important contribution with his appealing voice and serene, well-articulated narrative. The DVD's special features include Spanish and French language tracks, subtitling, and Internet links if you use the disc on your computer. --Erik Macki
User Submitted Antarctica: An Adventure of a Different Nature (IMAX) [Blu-ray] Reviews
November 20, 2008
Welcome to the "world of ice"
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"It is summer [in Antarctica]. It is midnight [even though there is full sunlight]. We are headed south. As they travel in this ship [an icebreaker], the men and women in this ship will be bitterly cold. Sun will burn their faces. Wind will sear them but they will feel fortunate to have become part of a great adventure."
The above is spoken by narrator Alex Scott at the beginning of this revealing documentary of Antarctica. This film was first shown in IMAX theatres.
This documentary has it all:
(1) spectacular cinematography
(2) good, informative narration
(3) interesting background music
What I especially liked was that the narrator did not attempt to overwhelm me with too many details. I got the impression that only the most important and interesting information was carefully selected and presented.
Support for the making of this film was provided by the Antarctic divisions of Austraila, U.S., Italy, New Zealand, U.S.S.R, and China. Data and science support was provided by fourteen organizations including NASA.
Finally, the DVD itself (the one released on Blu-ray in 2007) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has no extras.
In conclusion, this is a fascinating documentary of Antarctica. Watch it to find out why the narrator said the following:
"Antarctica reminds us again. We have scarcely begun to understand our planet."
(1991; 37 min, 30 sec; wide screen; 7 scenes)
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September 19, 2008
IMAX letdown
I own Alaska, the Serenghetti and the Galapagos. This one is far inferior from the ones I have seen. It disappoints for many reasons. Mainly the narrator makes the adventure seem blaisee and seeing the same stuff over and over gets a little boring.
July 5, 2008
Too Short !!!
I love nature doc's. But this milking that IMAX does is driving me nuts. 40 minutes for a nature movie is downright ridiculous. So your telling me on all their movies they can only come up with 40 minutes of nature to film and charge me anywhere from 13 to 25 dollars a pop for it. No thanks.
January 12, 2008
Excellent
As with Africa: Serengeti, this is a must have IMAX Documentary.
Blu-ray transfer is very good.
A nice mix of history, wildlife, terrain and science.
Narrated by Alex Scott.
August 19, 2007
Beautiful photography, poor narration
I rented this dvd in the hopes that I could show it to my classes of fourth and fifth grade science students. I will have to look elsewhere for my purposes. While the images are visually stunning (in particular the glacial meltwater and crevasse scenes), the narration was poor for my intended audience. The narrator spoke in a monotone voice and many basic points were ignored... were we looking at an ice shelf, an ice sheet, or pack ice? Furthermore, the focus of the film bounced around from topic to topic with no apparent connection. I appreciated information about what the scientists were studying but I don't plan on paying for the dvd for five minutes of content.
November 17, 2005
Worthwhile to rent
My favorite moments in this film are the seals, the penguins, and the people swimming inside the water of the interior of a glacier. The penguins are really cute, and the seals are amazing, the way they let people come right up to them.
I don't know enough about Antarctica to comment as to whether it has been presented fairly in this film, and I've never seen another film on Antarctica to compare this one to.
December 15, 2004
Very pretty but pretty dull
Look, I love all things about Antarctica, having visited there as a Coast Guard officer in 1982. I have stood at the South Pole, flew in a helicopter through the Dry Valleys, cavorted with penguins on the sea ice, visited the restored huts of Scott and Shackleton. And yet this DVD bored me. Granted, the cinematography is awesome (well, semi-awesome on a 21 inch screen), and I learned a bit about glaciers. But the reviewers who point to the film's choppiness are spot on. Moreover, the narration is at an annoyingly low volume compared to the rest of the soundtrack. Finally, the romantic elevation of Robert Scott into a great explorer is ahistoric, as Roland Huntsford showed long ago in his book Scott and Amundsen, so the fawning treatment here is inappropriate.
November 6, 2003
Very Good but Missing Something
The strength of the program is in the underwater shots and the look deep inside the crevice. This is where the program shines and the Imax we all know is evident.I was a little disappointed in the wild life shots, particularly because a Killer Whale is never shown (I don't think even mentioned) and which is a major component of that ecosystem. The shots of seals and penguins on the surface seemed a little distant and didn't have that usual Imax touch to it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there just seems to be something missing. I watched Imax's Everest title back to back with this one. The Everest one is so much tighter. I think because you get a better feel for the people you're watching on screen, whereas with the Antarctica program, there really isn't a tour guide. It's more disjointed and it plays very choppy. When it's good, it's very good, but there's some lapses there in between the underwater scenes where it just looks like they're at the local ski resort. I never felt like I was shown the expanse, danger, history, complete beauty of Antarctica. It is still a wonderful program, although I think I would have been just as happy renting it. I don't think it will get dozens of plays like the Everest title will.
September 16, 2001
Captures the wonder and majesty of Antarctica
This 1991 documentary was created for an IMAX presentation so I seriously wondered how this video would look on my little TV scene. Of course it could never be the same, but I had nothing to worry about because this 38-minute Australian documentary definitely captures the wonder and majesty of Antarctica. I learned something too and held my breathe in awe when the camera showed how the crevices in the glaciers are sometimes covered with such a thin sheet of ice that it will not sustain the weight of a person. However, they did bring a camera down there and it was a treat to see something that had never been filmed before. Another great shot was a timed exposure of the sun as it travels around the pole. There was also excellent cinematography of seals and of penguins although I wish they had skipped the silly background music, which tried to be humorous while showing the penguins diving. There were also a few film clips from the 1948 British film "Scott of Antarctica". I understand that the film cost $3.5 million to produce and that the film crew had to drag 2300 pounds of Imax equipment around, including one camera that never worked in the frigid temperatures. It took two Antarctic summers to film and the crew stayed at the American, French, Russian and Chinese scientific camps, getting some interesting footage of the scientists themselves and their experiments. The inevitable conclusion is that global warming is a serious threat that we cannot ignore. This is a great video for those of us who will likely never visit this coldest, driest, windiest and last unexplored place on earth. Recommended.
July 7, 2000
Could have been a lot better...
If Imax is now the best quality available on dvd and Anctartica one of the unexplored wonders of our world, you could expect a visual masterpiece. This isn't. Nevertheless, it's not terrible either. The problem here is the lack of empathy that this documentary brings. Yes, penguins look stunning and glaciers also do the trick, but if you're going to go to a place so hostile, yet so diverse, as Anctartica you should expect more information, more soul put into it and, of course, the magic that other documentaries such as Africa-The Serengeti, Imax-Alaska or The Living Seas display. Buy it only if you want to complete your Imax collection.
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