Blue Planet (IMAX) [HD DVD]
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Movie Reviews of Blue Planet (IMAX) [HD DVD]
Movie Review: IMAX Double Feature Blu-ray disc from SPACE not PLANET EARTH'S animals and computer earth views
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe the negative reviews for these are beautiful transfers of beautiful films. Some scenes look far deeper and sharper than the often mentioned PLANET EARTH series which is beautifully made though "only" on HD-Video. These films were filmed in space and explore the earth and Space Shuttle, PLANET EARTH is animals/nature with some computer-generated earth views!
The films presented here were made for specially made theatres with screens up to 1.000 square meters big and filmed in 70mm/15perforation, a three times larger film format than 70mm/5perf LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. All films in this format were 30 to 55 minutes long.
I always LOVED the slower pace resulting from these big images, just to get the time to take it all in. Also the earth views are so beautiful they need a slower pace. That is too much for some viewers it seems.
THE DREAM IS ALIVE (1985), 37min, features three space shuttle starts from different angles and shows training of astronauts as well as some of the first footage of the earth actually taken in orbit with the highest definition cameras on earth in the 15/70 format. Sure, there are always scenes in the shuttle where they had a lowlight situation and the image is not as sharp as others. One has to take into account the conditions under which these films were made. What counts is the overall impression and that is definitely high definition. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
I use this disc to impress my friends and NOT my PLANET EARTH disc ;-) Both films have breathtaking sound (Dolby TrueHD + Dolby Digital + French Dolby Digital). Subtitles French + Espanol.
BLUE PLANET (1990), 44min, to me is a true IMAX classic. Stunning earth views and exploration of the ozone hole at a time when few were talking about it make it one of the most stunning and at the same time serious large format films. Aftermath of San Francisco earthquake and hurricanes in the southeast.
I hope there will be many more IMAX films coming to Blu-ray!
Movie Review: disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Blue Planet, by its packaging and subject matter, calls for a comparison with the vastly superior Planet Earth series. This is a little unfair considering the latter is made of recent HD material thoughtfully organized and tied together with a catchy narrative throughout several episodes. By comparison, Blue Planet -and The Dream is Alive- are older material and in many ways dated (the near-future promise of microgravity for the pharmaceutical industry was a 1980s pipe dream, not a 2007 reality just yet...).
However, one could have hoped for a nice video transfer to Blu-Ray. Dated information notwithstanding, the images still have the same inherent beauty. And since the shows were made for IMAX, one believes there should be a way to make them look good.
Unfortunately, they do not. The image quality of Blue Planet (Imax) is uneven, seemingly coming from materials of different original quality (and I exclude the Moon Landing footage). At its best, it only vaguely reminds you of the stunning (and consistent) precision of Planet Earth footage. Most of the time, it seems inferior to the quality of a good, regular DVD on an up-converting player.
Since not enough work has gone into optimizing the image quality of the program -and its companion piece The Dream is Alive- one is left with an obvious realization of what it is primarily: a cheerleading piece for the space program serving mostly NASA's and Lockheed Martin's image building but rather short on content.
Buy Planet Earth in confidence. Almost any audience should be delighted and stunned by its beauty. As for Blue Planet, it should be reserved to the most dedicated -and forgiving- fans of the space program...
Movie Review: OK---But Not Great
Summary: 3 Stars
I was a little disappointed in the Movie. Some of the shots were pretty good, but some weren't that good. It looked like very little of the Movie was shot with HD Cameras. I think there was way too many shots from outer space onto the Earth. When they overdo something like that, it tends to make you start to lose interest. This movie is nothing like Planet Earth and if you've seen that, you'll be kind of spoiled. If I knew what I know now, I probably would not have bought this movie right away. Maybe later to add to the collection, because in order to have a collection, you have to have some mediocre Movies also.Movie Review: Very beatiful visuals, great commentary
Summary: 4 Stars
Disk one "IMAX Blue Planet" is a great diversion, the story and commentary on disk one are somewhat boring I will admit, the visuals are sharp and clean as all BD releases are.
This is a two disk release, disk two has the IMAX film "The Dream is Alive" narrated by Walter Cronkite, I think this is the better of the two films, and I love the sound of Walter's voice as a commentator.
I had watched the second movie at the Kennedy Space Center on their IMAX screen when I was there a couple of years ago, I loved it then, but IMAX is difficult to watch; the screen is so big that at least my eyes cannot take in the whole screen at one time, forcing me to concentrate on one area at a time and missing other elements occurring on screen.
I truly enjoyed watching this on a HDTV, the Blu-ray quality makes it a high def delight, and both disks boast Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound which made for great sound from both disks.
Neither are "feature presentations" as disk one is only 44 minutes, disk two is 37 minutes, but together they make a great diversion and are highly recommended.
Comparing this offering to the Planet Earth series is like comparing apples and oranges. Planet Earth is incredible, but it also costs (MSRP) of $100.00. I know this is not a Planet Earth review, but many have tried to compare this to it. I recommend that you get both of them, as I have.
If you love this genre, you will love these two movies. And if you're like me and love the commentary of Walter Cronkite, you will definitely love the second disk in the set.
Movie Review: Avoid this disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
Very poor quality video. Definitely not of a Blu-Ray quality and borderline for a DVD. May look good on a small screen, but almost unwatchable on a 56" HDTV.
Was so unenjoyable I had to force myself to watch it to completion.
Get Planet Earth instead.