Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

The Grand Canyon is one of the iconic geographical structures of the North American landscape. Carved out over many years by the Colorado River, the gorge, located in the South-Western U.S. state of Arizona, sprawls some 277 miles (446 km), ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and reaches a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet). Designated a National Park along with adjacent forestlands in 1909, the Grand Canyon sees an average of five million visitors a year.

With Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, MacGillivray Freeman Films tackles the pressing issue of the dwindling supply of fresh water around the world through the exploration of the dying Colorado River inside (and outside) the Grand Canyon. As Conservationists Wade Davis, Robert Kennedy, Jr. and native Havasupai park ranger and river guide Shana Watahomigie raft the Colorado River, the issue of the river's dwindling water levels due to damming, flood irrigation practices and steadily dropping annual rainfall around the world are discussed.

Of course, no MacGillivary Freeman IMAX film would be worthy of the company's name without stunning cinematography of its subject and on that it delivers. Grand Canyon Adventure is filled with marvelous vistas of the canyon, aerial shots of the terra cotta-colored cliffs, the rushing rapids and, most spectacularly, the glistening cerulean blue waters of the canyon where the Havasupai tribe make their home.


The Picture

Grand Canyon Adventure on Blu-ray Disc certainly benefits from having gone through the process of being scanned at 8k (8192 pixels) before any blow-ups or processing was done for this 1.78:1 VC-1 high definition transfer. The results here are truly breathtaking, with an extremely high level of perceived resolution at Blu-ray's standard 2k depth. The pixels seem denser, the source looks immaculately clean, sharp and detailed, and the color reproduction is so vibrant it is almost like looking through a window. This presentation is evidence that the best 70mm film handled well rivals or even exceeds the best high definition recording techniques available today in terms of resolution.

Baraka, which was widely heralded for its brilliant picture quality, was the first Blu-ray Disc to be released that came from an 8k scan, but Baraka cannot rival the picture quality available here for two reasons -- Baraka was an older film, and Baraka's Todd-AO 65mm format does not have the same initial resolution. You owe it to yourself to pick up Grand Canyon Adventure to see exactly how great BD (and HDTV in general) can look.

The Sound

With its English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless and French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks, Grand Canyon Adventure: A River at Risk is typically engaging for an IMAX feature from MacGillivray Freeman. The lossless mix filled with the thunderous sounds of rushing rapids throughout the soundstage and the lively music of Dave Matthews Band mixed discretely into the five main channels. The LFE is used effectively to give weight to the sound effects when necessary, and dialogue is clear and cleanly balanced in the center channel.

The Extras

• Making of Grand Canyon Adventure: A River at Risk (4:3/SD)
• MacGillivray Freeman Films History (1.78:1/HD)
• Sample the Film Soundtrack:
  • Grand Canyon Railway (48kHz/16-bit PCM 2.0)
  • Lava Falls (48kHz/16-bit PCM 2.0)
• Learn More! -- More information about the worldwide water crisis
• The Colorado River & Grand Canyon -- More information about the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon
• A Message from TEVA
• Play Water Saving Tips from Kohler!  (1.78:1/HD) -- David Kohler offers up water conservation tips in this half promotional/half conservationist spot from Kohler.
• Tara's Music Video (4:3/SD)
• About Greg MacGillivray -- Bio
• Companion Book -- Information on the companion book to the film.
• Trailers
• Dynamic Connection -- BD-Live

Final Thoughts

Grand Canyon Adventure: A River at Risk not only highlights the important issue of worldwide drought through the dwindling water level of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, but it also sets a new standard of quality for releases on Blu-ray Disc. This is absolutely reference quality that should not be missed -- A+ stuff all the way.

Where to Buy

• Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk (IMAX) on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Wade Davis, Nikki Kelly, Robert Redford, Shana Watahomigie
• Director: Greg MacGillivray
• Video Codec: VC-1
• Language: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Region: ABC
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Not Rated
• Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• List Price: $24.98
• Extras:
  • Making of
  • Dynamic Connection
  • And More!