Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

In Coral Reef Adventure, MacGillivray Freeman Films, one of the largest and most successful producers of IMAX exhibition features, returns with an  exploration of one of the most beautiful and vulnerable ecological systems on the planet. In this undersea adventure, Jean-Michelle Cousteau joins the husband and wife underwater cinematography team of Howard and Michele Hall as they spend 10-months exploring the endangered coral reefs of the Pacific.

With ocean temperatures on the rise around the world, algae that the coral rely on for feed are being driven out of the oceans and the coral are dying as a result. This can have disastrous and far-reaching consequences as nearly 300-million people rely on fish from reefs for food. If the delicate balance of the reefs' ecosystem is indelibly tipped, the entire planet could be in jeopardy. 

The team starts out in what is the largest and probably the most famous of the coral reefs, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and they make their way through Fiji, Tahiti, and other Pacific Islands coming across all the colorful and dazzling sea creatures that make the reefs their abode, like Grey Reef Sharks, and Potato Cod.

Coral Reef Adventure is yet another superbly captured film from MacGillivray Freeman that turns the lens on our world and makes one think about how precious a resource  the Earth is to all of us.

The Picture

Once again Image Entertainment has done an excellent job in capturing the large format, 70mm IMAX production from MacGillivray Freeman and bringing it to the high definition Blu-ray format. The 1.78:1 AVC/MPEG-4 encoding is particularly dazzling with the many colors of the coral reefs -- yellows, pinks, greens, and blues -- all popping from the screen vibrantly. The picture is sharp and detailed with excellent foreground and background detail while the source looks clean and stable.

The Sound

With English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French Dolby Digital 5.1 audio options, Coral Reef Adventure offers a soundmix that matches its subject matter perfectly. With an abundance of ambience and foley effects placed in the rear channels, deep low frequency extension and smooth high frequency response, Coral Reef on Blu-ray presents a lively and entertaining mix. Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Our House" comes alive with a wide soundtsage and solid midrange, and the narration from Liam Neeson and the Halls is big and clear in the center channels.

The Extras

Coral Reef Adventure is provided with what seems to be all of the standard supplements for MacGillivray Freeman IMAX titles from Image Entertainment on Blu-ray, so there won't be anything unexpected here for anyone familiar with these releases. Surprisingly, the "Making Of" featurette is quite a bit more informative and less promotional in feel than usual and shows just how passionate Greg MacGillivray and the rest of the people involved in this production are about the issue of the endangered coral reefs around the world.

The extras available on this release are:

• Making Of (4:3/standard definition)  -- Greg MacGillivray, the Halls and other members of the filmmaking crew discuss the production of Coral Reef Adventure. This is an informative "making of," with lots of behind-the-scenes footage and detailed information on he coral reefs and the species that live there. Dare I say, there may be more detailed information in this featurette than in the main feature itself.
• Film Trivia Quiz
• MacGillivray Freeman Films -- A promo spot for MacGillivray Freeman Films.
• About Greg MacGillivray
• Trailers
• Dynamic Connection -- BD-Live -- Find Production journal, Cast & Crew bios,  more information on coral reefs and trailers for upcoming features from MacGilivray Freeman films.

Final Thoughts

Anyone interested in marine life should pick up this exquisitely filmed release, which has been superbly brought to Blu-ray disc by Image Entertainment in a flawless high definition transfer with a tastefully entertaining lossless audio track to match.

Where to Buy

• Coral Reef Adventure (IMAX) on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Liam Neeson, Howard Hall, Michele Hall, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rusi Vulakoro
• Director: Greg MacGillivray
• Writers: Stephen Judson, Jack Stephens, Osha Gray Davidson
• Producers: Greg MacGillivray, Alec Lorimore, Chat Reynders, Christopher N. Palmer
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Language: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Not Rated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: November 11, 2008
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• List Price: $24.98
• Extras:
  
  • "Making of" Documentary
  • Film Trivia Quiz
  • And More!