What can I say? I love 3D! From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content. I suspect that those of you just purchasing your first 3D hardware will acquire the same ferocious appetite. That's why I became the HTF 3D ADDICT. I personally love images that pop off the screen and come inches away from your face without becoming overly gimmicky. However, I certainly appreciate the nature documentaries that offer beautiful depth and separation. These are not necessarily reviews of the film themselves. I am not going to concentrate on story or supplements -- you can find the 2D reviews elsewhere on this forum. My job is to let you know exactly what kind of 3D experience to expect from the titles that are being released. As I will be receiving a handful of new product from the studios expect to see more title coverage.
Wild Ocean
Studio: Image
Product Release: November 2, 2010
Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English, Spanish, French
Running Time: 40 Minutes
Rating: NR
ON A SCALE 0-5
Overall 3D Presentation Rating: 3
3D Separation: 3
3D In Yo' Face Factor: 1
STAY AWAY FROM THESE WATERS
Up until this point I had looked at IMAX as being the gold
standard for what 3D content should achieve -- that is, until
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Wild Ocean.
This is actually my second attempt to review this title.
Truth be, about 8 minutes into watching this documentary
I turned off the television and threw my notes in the garbage.
There were better things to do with my time, I thought.
Over the past day, however, I have been slowly posting
in threads warning people not to buy this title and I felt that
if I was going to make such warnings that I should take the
time to explain why I feel this way. So, into the trash can
I went and with crumpled paper in hand this morning I revisited
Wild Ocean in order to give it the chance it deserved.
Wild Ocean brings us to eastern coast of Africa and takes
us beneath the waves into the circle of life. The problem
right off the bat is that the material mostly concentrates on
sardines and the predators that threaten their life which
include dolphins, copperhead sharks, humpback whales
and of course, MAN.
It doesn't take long until you begin to tire of the material.
I can't begin to recall how many times I watched schools
of sardines and swimming dolphins. Above the water we
get some stunning coastal shots intertwined with lots of
fisherman and dancing natives.
So, here are the major problems with Wild Ocean...
First is the material. If this were the first Imax film I had
ever watched it might be passable. However, you immediately
notice how inferior this is to other titles. Second problem
concerns the narration. The narrator talks in a thick accent
that is often very difficult to comprehend. So many times I
had to stop, scan footage backwards, and re-listen to the
commentary in order to understand the names of fish and
wildlife that were being spoken.
The documentary opens with a badly produced 3D commercial,
of all things, for Nokia which gives us a preachy message about
how we can save energy.
Finally, and most importantly, is the quality of the 3D. For
the first 8 minutes I was suffering from eye strain. The material
had an abundance of ghosting and was downright blurry. Upon
second viewing I was pleased to see that the imagery got better
though I stand by my past comments that underwater footage
tends to get blurry and out of focus -- especially when there are
debris and water bubbles that constantly divert your eyes from
the main focal point.
The amount of depth and separation is just "okay" after seeing
other stuff that is so much better. The best 3D here usually comes
in the form of the coastal flyovers. There's a beautiful shot of a
waterfall that is seemingly suspended in mid air.
There really isn't any "In Yo' Face" 3D here. The best you get
is the beaks of bottleneck dolphins slightly protruding the screen
along with a few water bubbles.
The audio is perhaps the best feature of the presentation. It's
a highly punchy, surround-active soundtrack that continually
envelopes the viewer with screeching birds, music and water
effects. At the conclusion of the documentary there is a water
battle between the sardines and predators with lots of thunderous
clapping music and effect noise that barrage the listener from
every direction.
CONCLUSION
The biggest factors one should consider in what they purchase
is whether the content will be entertaining and whether it is well produced
for 3D viewing. Wild Ocean is neither. The 3D is lackluster compared to
the other exceptional IMAX titles that are available and quite frankly, it's
b-o-r-i-n-g to watch.
You could do much better.
Equipment
LG 60PX950 THX Certified 3D display
LG BX580 3D Blu-ray Player
Denon 3808CI Receiver
Atlantic Technology H-PAS AT-1 fronts, 4400 center; 4200 rear speakers
SV Sound Subwoofer
