Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Like most IMAX exhibition films, Mystery of the Nile is short on substantial documentary content but heavy on the eye-candy. The 47-minute long film follows an exhibition crew as they journey down the Nile, starting from the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, which serves as the main focus of the feature, before meeting up with the White Nile. Along their journey, they brave natural dangers such as rapids and wild animals as well as dangers from people such as armed rebel groups suspicious of outsiders. Their journey brings them through many lands where they meet people from a cross-section of religious cultures -- Muslim, Christian -- and they revel in the human experience.

Like the best of any IMAX production, Mystery of the Nile offers beautiful imagery. There are breathtaking vistas of the lands around the Nile, thrilling rides down the rapids of the river, serene views of sunsets and sunrises on the horizon and more. Anyone coming to this brief snippet with low expectations of what to expect will find pleasure in its imagery and dismiss its lack of deeper content.

The Picture

With its 1080p/24 AVC.MPEG-4 transfer, The Mystery of the Nile Blu-ray Disc superbly captures in fine detail the large-format IMAX film. Colors are richly saturated, film grain is subtle and consistent and the picture is clean with deep blacks, well-delineated shadow detail and contrast that doesn't bloom. The various shots of the crimson sky at dusk and dawn highlight the wonderful color saturation. There are no artifacts apparent, not even in the flowing waters of the Nile where macroblocking would be most likely to appear. This is yet another superb IMAX release from Image Entertainment.

The Sound

Image has matched the excellent IMAX transfer with an equally engaging DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Throughout the 47-minutes the lossless mix makes full use of all the channels to put the listener in the center of the action. Water rushes around through all the channels with heavy low-end extension. Good ambient effects populate the surrounds; various sounds of nature during the travails of the crew's expedition. The mix is cohesive, dynamic and expansive. The narration in the center channel is full and intelligible at all times. The disc also offers French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 options.

The Extras

The release offers a bit of extra materials, but most of them feel very promotional in nature and do not necessarily extend the value of the film itself in any way.

The extras available on this release are:

• Making of (4:3/"windowboxed"/standard definition) --This making-of documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition and the film's production.
• Film Trivia Quiz -- Multiple choice trivia questions based on the film.
• Companion Book -- Promotional material for the film's companion book.
• Learn More! -- A list of websites where one can gather more information on Africa, the Nile, and this film.
• About the Producers -- Bios on the film's producers.
• Trailers:
  • Coral Reef Adventure
  • Journey into Amazing Caves
  • The Magic of Flight
  • The Living Sea
  • Mystery of the Nile
  • Greece: Secrets of the Past
  • Hurricane on the Bayou
  • The Alps
  • Dolphins
  • Super Speedway
• BD-Live -- contains more promotional material on the film itself and other interactive features. This particular BD-Live-enabled titled caused a Panasonic BD35 player to completely freeze-up, requiring me to unplug the unit in order to restart it and remove the disc.

Where to Buy

• Mystery of the Nile (IMAX) on Bu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Final Thoughts

Mystery of the Nile succeeds in its purpose as a brief high definition exhibition title. Anyone looking for a showcase piece to demonstrate the capabilities their home theater system would not be disappointed by this Blu-ray title.

Product Details

• Actors: Gordon Brown, Pasquale Scaturro, Saskia Lange, Mohamed Megahed, Myriam Seco
• Director: Jordi Llompart
• Audio/Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Not Rated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 14, 2008
• Run Time: 47 minutes
• List Price: $24.98
• Extras:
  • "Making of" Documentary
  • Film Trivia Quiz
  • Nile Knowledge
  • Learn More
  • BD-Live