Solar Max
by John Weiley
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alex ScottDirector: John Weiley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: IMAX, 1.33:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-02
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sling Shot Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Solar Max
Movie Review: Simply Breathtaking!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first viewed this film back when it was released into IMAX theaters back in 2001. In all honesty it was and still is my single favorite IMAX film. It was simply breathtaking watching this on an IMAX screen as I had never seen the sun in such detail before. I have always been a huge Astronomy junkie as I was introduced to the subject at a very young age by my father who was also a huge astronomy fan. He always had the cutting edge telescopes that let us view everything from the the moon to the planets and even distant galaxies and nebula. The one thing that just seemed to slip by was our own Sun. This is most likely because we didn't have the types of telescopes that allowed us to view the sun. Hence it just wasn't one of the things that we focused on and that stayed with me all the way up to the day I viewed this film. Then it all changed.
I walked out of the theater so awe struck by what I had just seen that I immediately went home and started looking into acquiring my own solar telescope. I wanted to be able to see the sun, in real time, like I had just seen it on the big IMAX screen. To make a long story short, 6 months and over 200 eBay sales later I finally ordered my own solar telescope. Its kind of ironic that the solar telescope that I wound up purchasing had the same name as this film, The double stacked Solarmax 90 from Coronado. It was VERY expensive but it was worth every penny. The first time I was able to set up my solarmax and view the sun with my own eyes, well lets just say it was one of the most memorable moments in my life. I sat there for hours literally mesmerized by the beauty. My interest in the sun has only grown over time and I now focus most of my time photographing the sun. Its just an amazing side to both photography and astronomy and I owe it all to seeing Solarmax in the theater that day. Funny how things work out sometimes.
Anyways if you haven't seen this film and have even a little bit of interest in astronomy then this film should be put on the very top of your to see list. Not only does it give you amazing images of the sun, it also gives you a very interesting historical look at the sun and the effect that it had on different cultures in the world. One of the most fascinating parts of the film is when it shows you the oldest building still standing. Its basically a building that houses a sun room and the interesting part is that for only 1 day a year the back "Sun room" is illuminated. The other 364 days of the year, the sun isn't at the proper angle for sunlight to enter this room. The IMAX camera's capture this extremely fascinating event in great detail.
The good news is that Magic Play Entertainment is currently working on the remastered 1080p Blu Ray version which was taken directly from the original 65mm film. Trust me when I say that this is the one IMAX film that you simply must see in HD.
The Bottom line - This is easily one of the best IMAX films ever produced and I recommend it as much for children as I do for adults. This film inspired me to the point where Solar Viewing is now a daily part of my life. It may just have the same effect on you.
5 Stars! Absolutely Brilliant!!
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