Why So Blu?

IMAX & MacGillivray Freeman: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set (Blu-ray Review)

After a half century of cinematic storytelling, along with countless awards and accolades, Academy Award-nominated MacGillivray Freeman Films’ best-selling documentaries have made a difference in the lives of audiences around the world.  In celebration of their 50-year anniversary, this very special limited edition box set includes 10 of their most awe-inspiring adventures in spectacular high-definition.  The gift set features narration from Gordon Brown, Helen Mirren, Jean-Michael Cousteau, Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, Nia Vardalos, Pierce Brosnan, Robert Redford, and Tom Selleck and is directed by Greg MacGillivray, Jordi Llompart, and Steve Judson.

 

Films  

I think by this point everyone has seen seen at least one IMAX film and if they had odds are they saw one of MacGillivray Freeman’s films.  Their company name has become synonymous with IMAX and with good reason – they are the world’s foremost independent producer and distributor of giant-screen 70mm films, having supplied over 35 IMAX films so far. Founded by Greg MacGillivray and the late Jim Freeman, the company made their first film with the cult surf classic Five Summer Stories which led to more commercial work for films like Sentinels of Silence, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and then they hit the big time when their aerial photography helped The Towering Inferno win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.  From there they branched out into making their own independent films including To Fly which is now the longest running documentary running as it has played continuously at the National Air & Space Museum since 1976. Many of the films have won awards or been nominated such as The Living Sea and Dolphins (both of which are included in this set) and they still hold the record for the highest grossing giant screen film every produced with their massive hit Everest.

Founded around the same time, IMAX is the latest and greatest giant screen experience in the long ling of big screen formats that follows in the same tradition as Fox’s Fox Grandeur, the first 70mm film format in 1929, which was followed in the ’50s by CinemaScope and VistaVision as well as the Cinerama format. In 1970, the first IMAX film was shown at Osaka, Japan and the first permanent IMAX installation in Ontario, Canada was built in 1971.  By the 1990s’ the company started to broaden their appeal by releasing entertainment movies along with their documentaries.  Films like The Rolling Stones: Live at the Max, Wings of Courage, and Fantasia 2000 brought in new audiences and filmmakers and studios took notice and soon full length Hollywood movies started to be shown.  Nowadays, you can find the latest blockbusters playing in IMAX which is very cool as long as you are prepared to pay the premium cost for admission.

This set is a celebration of both IMAX and MacGillivray Freeman as we get ten of the best movies from MacGillivray Freeman that have been shown in IMAX theaters over the years.  Even though they are all different they all share the usual MacGillivray Freeman trademarks such as sweeping vistas, gorgeous scenery from the most amazing and remote place of the Earth, as well as a mission to entertain and teach audiences about different aspects of the natural world in an attempt to inspire them to cherish and protect it.  These ten films span many years collectively and it was interesting to see what’s changed over the years and what has remained the same.

The newer ones now have cool CGI effects and 3D, but that hasn’t changed the overall message, it’s only enhanced it.  I enjoyed all of them but I especially liked the ones that offer a glimpse back into history such as Greece: Secrets of the Past which showed us relics from the past but also showed us a recreation through CGI of what the Parthenon actually looked like when it was built which was very cool.  The appeal of these films can be enhanced if it’s a subject that you are interested in.  Whether you are into cave diving, dolphins, planes, or the natural world, there is a film here for you.  Even the ones that you think may not interest you will surprise you because you will get swept up in the gorgeous cinematography or the people involved and you may find your horizons broadened with new insights.  Take a look at the variety of films that this incredible set offers:

ARABIA – With breathtaking cinematography, go deep into the heart of this exotic land to experience the great mystique of Arabia.  Travel to the exotic and fascinating land of Arabia. Explore the ancient tombs of a lost city; dive through the reefs of the Red Sea; and experience the Hajj – the largest gathering of people on Earth. Discover an extraordinary culture and experience modern day Arabia in the midst of monumental change.  Narrated by Helen Mirren. Also includes 3D version!

CORAL REEF ADVENTURE – Welcome to a world unlike any other, a world that has been called the “soul of the sea.”  See life on a coral reef – where some of the planet’s most diverse, fascinating and mysterious landscapes and creatures exist hidden from our sight.   Voyage to the South Pacific’s coral reefs to view their remarkable contribution to life on earth and the imminent dangers they currently face.  Follow husband and wife cinematography team Howard and Michele Hall on a 10-month quest across the Pacific Ocean – during which they attempt to create a lasting cinematic record of the reefs as they exist today.  The film captures unprecedented, mesmerizing underwater images of beauty as well as sobering images of reefs in decline.   Using innovative and groundbreaking techniques, the filmmakers plunge to daring and record-breaking depths, taking the notoriously cumbersome IMAX camera deep in the open ocean.  With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth.  Narrated by Liam Neeson. Music by Crosby, Stills & Nash.

DOLPHINS – Brimming with details about the complex lives of these fascinating animals, this ocean adventure film takes you into the very heart of the world of Dolphins.  Imagine floating in the crystalline, turquoise waters of the Bahamas. Swimming alongside you are some of the most graceful and extraordinary creatures on earth—wild dolphins. From the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the wind-swept seas of Patagonia, go under the water’s surface for a romp with inquisitive Atlantic spotted dolphins, acrobatic dusky dolphins and the familiar bottlenose dolphin.  Follow marine biologist, Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, Dr. Bernd Würsig and Dr. Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, as they research the communication of wild dolphins with innovative scientific methods.  From rarely seen fish-herding behavior to a close-up look at complex communication activities, Dolphins offers a fascinating new perspective on the lives of dolphins and their remarkable intelligence.  Narrated by Pierce Brosnan. Music by Sting.

GRAND CANYON ADVENTURE: RIVER AT RISK – Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk combines exhilarating river-rafting action on America’s most iconic river with and the grandeur of the Grand Canyon to tell an engaging story of how ordinary people can make a difference for our parched planet—one that is running out of clean, fresh water.  Taking audiences on this illuminating rafting trip are two environmental heroes: world-renowned river advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and author/anthropologist/explorer Wade Davis, accompanied by their daughters Kick Kennedy and Tara Davis.  They are guided by Shana Watahomigie, a member of the Havasupai tribe and the first Native American to become a National Park Ranger and river guide.  A stirring score, featuring songs and music from the Grammy Award®-winning Dave Matthews Band, sets the mood for this adventure that explores the issues, presents real solutions, and delivers an uplifting message of hope for future generations.  Narrated by Robert Redford.

GREECE: SECRETS OF THE PAST – Travel to Greece on a sweeping archeological trip back in time.  The magic of ancient Greek civilization comes to life in a giant screen adventure! Travel to the dawn of democracy and the birthplace of Western Civilization on a quest to uncover the buried secrets of one of the world’s most enlightened societies.  Whether digging for clues amid the ancient sands of Santorini or diving the waters of the Aegean Sea where a 2,000-year-old statue of Poseidon awaits discovery, Greece: Secrets of the Past makes history come alive on the giant screen as never before.  At the heart of the film’s journey is Dr. Christos Doumas, an impassioned Greek archeologist who, inspired by his love of Greek culture, is working feverishly to piece together the puzzle of ancient Greece and better understand its influence on life today. Also playing a key role is Doumas’ friend and fellow scientist, Dr. George Vougioukalakis, a volcanologist studying the devastating explosion on the island of Santorini in 1646 BC, which changed life in the Aegean Sea forever.  Narrated by Nia Vardalos.  

HURRICANE ON THE BAYOU – Journey deep into the soul-stirring heart of Louisiana – before, during and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Unfolding against the poignant backdrop of the most costly natural disaster in America’s history, we follow a group of four New Orleans musicians:  legendary singer, songwriter, pianist, producer Allen Toussaint; Cajun blues guitarist and wetlands activist Tab Benoit; fiddling prodigy Amanda Shaw; and zydeco accordion master Chubby Carrier. Through their eyes, we witness the tragedy the city faced during Katrina.  Explore the electrifying culture of New Orleans: speed through the beautiful, alligator-filled bayous on airboats; recount the heart-wrenching, personal stories of Katrina; and most of all, witness the rapidly disappearing wetlands that are New Orleans’ first line of defense against deadly storms.  Narrated by Meryl Streep.

JOURNEY INTO AMAZING CAVES – Explore the mysterious world of the underground: the world’s most remote, unexplored caves.  Follow two female cavers as they search for extreme living organisms in the ice caves of Greenland, the underwater caves of the Yucatan Peninsula, and the earth caves of the Little Grand Canyon.  Featuring unprecedented footage from unique and forbidding ice caves, underwater caves, and terrestrial caves.  Wriggle through tiny, twisting passages, drop into gleaming blue labyrinths of ice, swim through flooded underground vaults, and enter a world so extreme the microscopic creatures who live there are called extremophiles. Circle the globe, stopping in the hot, lush Yucatán; dropping into barren, frozen Greenland and flying above the primitive red rock Arizona desert. And hold your breath as expedition leaders, Dr. Hazel Barton and Nancy Aulenbach, rappel down steep cliffs into unmapped chambers, hoping to bring back startling new discoveries that may unlock new cures for human disease.  They travel to unique and forbidding ice caves in Greenland, underwater caves in the Yucatan, terrestrial caves in the Grand Canyon and other spectacular locations.  Narrated by Liam Neeson.

THE LIVING SEA – Celebrate the beauty and power of the ocean and explore our relationship with this complex and fragile environment.  Shot in locations around the world and featuring spectacular footage from the islands of Palau, audiences swim among thousands of golden jellyfish and witness the bizarre spawning behavior of giant clams.  Come face-to-face with humpback whales, life-size on the giant screen.  Surf thundering waves in Hawaii and ride in a Coast Guard Rescue boat with cadets training to save lives at Cape Disappointment, home to some of the roughest surf in the world.  And follow a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) 3,000 feet down through the ocean depths to view strange creatures (one as long as a football field!) which live where sunlight never penetrates.  The Living Sea takes you to the world’s oceans, traveling to Palau, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Alaska, Nova Scotia and the Red Sea.  Narrated by Meryl Streep.  Music by Sting.

THE MAGIC OF FLIGHT – Experience the thrill of a Blue Angels air show while learning of the science and history of flight. Featuring cutting edge aerial photography, this is the story of human potential and the importance of training and performance.  In The Magic of Flight, we are inspired by a bird’s innate ease to take flight and review early flight attempts, as well as the ultimate successful flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903.  The variety and versatility of today’s flying machines are also displayed throughout the film. We learn how the Harrier jet mimics a bird’s landing and take-off.  The jet can be delicately maneuvered at slow speeds yet capable of moving over 500 mph.  We also witness naval aviators, with the ability to fly up to 1,300 mph, precisely land on an aircraft carrier, the most difficult maneuver in all of aviation.  Relive the historical first flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903, then soar with the world-famous Blue Angels as they defy the laws of gravity with their most breathtaking maneuvers.  Narrated by Tom Selleck.

MYSTERY OF THE NILE -The epic story of the first complete descent of the world’s deadliest river.  Join the expedition deep in Africa, as they set out to complete one of the last great adventures of the modern age: running the full length of the Blue Nile, known as the Mt. Everest of rivers, from its source in Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea.  Led by expedition leader Pasquale Scaturro, this tenacious group becomes the first in history to conquer all 3,250 miles of the river, overcoming nearly insurmountable obstacles in the process: Class V and VI rapids, a crocodile attack, dangerous hippos, arrests by Ethiopian and Egyptian militia, gunfire from bandits, blinding sandstorms, malaria threats, and the relentless heat of the fierce Saharan sun. Over the past century, many explorers attempted the same feat but have died trying.Join a team of explorers on the expedition of a lifetime as they set off to become the first to navigate the Blue Nile from source to sea.

Video  

As you might expect, the video (and audio) quality varies from disc to disc with the newer releases looking a lot better than the earlier ones.  Most of these movies offer vibrant colors and a high level of detail which really brings the amazing cinematography of various locations like the Grand Canyon, the ocean, the sand dune in Arabia, and more to life.  Flesh tones are accurate and the black levels for the most part are solid and inky.  There is some instances of crush and noise in some of the movies like Amazing Caves that take place in darkened areas.  Contrast is good for the most part but a touch bright on some of the releases, but not to the point of concern.  I did notice that in some shots, the image looks compressed, morst likely due to the shift from the IMAX format to Blu-ray but they never last long.  All in all, these films look great on Blu-ray and if you can’t see them on an IMAX screen, this is the next best option.

Audio  

Much like the video quality of these releases, the audio mixes across the set sound better the newer they are.  No matter how old the releases are, the Much like the video quality of these releases, the audio mixes across the set sound better the newer they are.  No matter how old the releases are, the often excellent narration from the variety of stars  always sounds clear and clean despite any environmental sounds there are.  Another constant across all of the films is the fact that the music is delivered at a much higher level than the rest of the rest of the audio which is really annoying.  I had to keep adjusting the audio volume to hear the dialogue and narration and then lower it when the much louder music returned. The music sounds great but I wish they had balanced the audio much better.

Extras  

One thing you will notice by watching these extras in this set is the fact that they all contain the same format and extras for the most part. There’s always a decent length documentary on the making of the film, a featurette focusing on the history of MacGillivray Freeman Films, Text only information pages, Trailers, and BD-Live connections.  So other than the making of documentaries, everything else is recycled from disc to disc.  There’s a few exceptions since some have a trivia test and in the case of Grand Canyon: River at Risk, they have 2 music only tracks from The Dave Matthews Band.  Here are the extras broken down by movie:

Arabia

• Making of Documentary
  
• History of MacGillivray Freeman Films
• Trailers 
• BD-Live
  

Coral Reef Adventure

• Making of Documentary
• IMAX Trailers 
  
• History of MacGillivray Freeman Films
• Film Trivia Quiz  

Dolphins

• Making of Documentary
• Marine Science: MacGillivray Freeman Films 
  
• Trailers 

Grand Canyon: River at Risk

• Making of Documentary
• Tara’s Music Video
  
• Dave Matthews Soundtrack (two songs)
• BD-Live
• Trailer 

Greece: Secrets of the Past

• Making of Documentary
  
• History of MacGillivray Freeman Films 
• Trailers
• BD-Live

Hurricane on the Bayou

• The Making of Documentary
• Film Trivia Quiz
  
• About the Musicians 
• About the Audubon Nature Institute 
• Alligator Stuff
• History of MacGillivray Freeman Films 
• About Greg MacGillivray
• Trailers
• BD-Live

Journey into Amazing Caves

• The Making of Documentary
• The History of MacGillivray Freeman Films 
• About Greg MacGillivray
• Trailers

The Living Sea

• Making of Documentary
• Trailers

The Magic of Flight

• Making of Documentary
• Film Trivia Quiz
• History of MacGillivray Freeman Films
• About Greg MacGillivray 
• Trailers 
• BD-Live

The Mystery of the Nile

• Making of Documentary
• Film Trivia Quiz 
  
• Nile Knowledge 
• Companion Book
  
• Learn More
• Trailers
• BD-Live

Summary  

If you want to see some beautiful and amazing sights or if you want to learn something new about this world then you should pick this set up because it offers both.  While I miss the giant IMAX screen, these Blu-rays are the next best thing. They all deliver great video and audio quality and despite their short running times, these Blu-ray come with some good extras to help justify the cost and to impart some more knowledge to the viewer on how it was all done.  In fact, in some cases, the making of documentaries last longer than the movie it’s covering!  If you’ve enjoyed Macgillivray Freeman’s IMAX films before, then you are sure to enjoy this 50th Anniversary set.

Order your copy today!