Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

3D Aquarium Blu-ray Movie Review

Topics wades into 3D waters...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 31, 2011

The idea of a 3D "ambient television" release is -- to be quite honest -- a silly one. Titles from Topics Entertainment that fall under the HD Moods banner aren't designed to provide a traditional viewing experience; they're best used as screensavers, mood setters, background filler... they're not really meant to watched intently for hours on end. And while 3D Aquarium doesn't officially fall under the HD Moods banner, that's precisely what it is. So the appeal of turning off the lights, slipping on a pair of 3D glasses and staring at six different aquariums for seventy minutes completely eludes me. (It doesn't help that the various aquariums aren't large enough to deliver any substantial 3D depth of field. More on that in a bit.) All that said, 3D Aquarium offers a variety of viewing and listening options (in 2D and 3D), gorgeous technical presentations, and solid lossless surround sound, all at a reasonable price.

3D Aquarium offers six aquarium experiences (seven if you include the "Highlights" segment), three audio options and, of course, the ability to view any of the available aquariums in 2D or 3D. Moreover, each of the individual experiences can be looped indefinitely, as can the entire seven-segment presentation. "Chapter 1: The Living Reef Tank" (1080p, 12:04) features an active aquarium with abundant coral and an assortment of pet-shop regulars; "Chapter 2: The Reef Close Up" (1080p, 11:49) is more rich and colorful in every way, as are its inhabitants; "Chapter 3: The Kid's Tank" (1080p, 9:38) is a rather garish aquarium with stark-white coral, tiny orange and purple fish and a plastic deep sea diver who continually opens a treasure chest to release air bubbles (which all but terrifies whichever unfortunate creatures are nearby); "Chapter 4: Anemone and Clown" (1080p, 10:56) isn't notable for much more than its Finding Nemo ties, other than the 3D presentation's most convincing 3D element (a starfish attached to the glass); "Chapter 5: There Be Lions Here" (1080p, 7:10) focuses on a group of lionfish lording over a rocky faux-seabed; and "Chapter 6: Nano Tank" (1080p, 14:20) showcases a slew of tiny swimmers, but sometimes does so in jittery, almost imperceptible slow motion. A three-minute "Highlights" reel tops it all off.

(I must confess my aquarium ignorance, though. I couldn't rattle off all the fish that appear in Topics' 3D Aquarium if I spent three hours pouring through all six chapters, and my wildly unsuccessful Google searches proved to be little help. The box art mentions sailfin tangs, clown triggers, puffer fish, kelloggi seahorses and baby angel fish, but there isn't a special feature, species list or pop-up fact track to identify any of the others. Which leads me to my next point: there should be.)

On the music front, 3D Aquarium provides three soundtracks: "Explore," which alters between sprightly piano melodies and soft but playfully synthesized orchestrations (with a slight but unmistakable St. Elsewhere vibe); "Drift," an effuse (some might even say evocative) New Age-y synthesized track that, every now and then, fired synapses in my brain forever associated with Tangerine Dream's Legend score; and "Natural Sounds," a watery, bubbly, ambient option guaranteed to send you scurrying to the bathroom after fifteen minutes (if you can make it that long). Still, 3D Aquarium's options aren't quite as robust as the best releases of its kind and, aside from the ability to watch the various aquariums in 3D, other HD Moods titles are better suited to most consumers' needs. Price and 3D compatibility are the draw here, neither of which are as much of a selling point as they might first seem.

3D Aquarium Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Judged solely by the proficiency of its 1080p video presentation, 3D Aquarium is a beaut. Colors are bright and vibrant, black levels are satisfying (considering everything is submerged in water), and detail is excellent. Better still, there isn't any significant artifacting, banding, aliasing or other anomalies, and the only blips on my radar involved some jitteriness at the beginning of "Nano Tank," almost imperceptible noise in a single shot in "Anemone and Clown," and a brief burst of arguably negligible blockiness in "The Reef Close Up" that, faint and small a patch as it is, appears in the darkness, just over the... erm, shoulder of a green crab. Otherwise, there isn't much at all to complain about: Topics' 3D Aquarium looks fantastic.

Unfortunately, the 3D presentation is a bit of a mixed bag. While the quality of the transfer itself is excellent and while ghosting isn't much of an issue at all (save a few instances in "Nano Tank," when smaller fish dart across the screen), the aquariums featured in the disc's six segments aren't exactly roomy. And because the fish on display are swimming mere inches away from the coral, stones and plantlife that populate their cramped undersea stomping grounds, the resulting 3D effect isn't very striking or, really, very convincing at all. There are still moments when a creature or tank dweller pops off the screen -- a glass-hugging starfish in "Anemone and Clown" and a seahorse in "Nano Tank," chief among them -- but instances of breathtaking 3D are few and far between. In the end, 3D Aquarium boasts a fairly stunning 2D presentation, but offers little more than a serviceable 3D experience. Proceed accordingly.

3D Aquarium Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

3D Aquarium's three audio offerings are presented via comparable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks. The fullness of each aquarium's soundscape is undeniable, as is the prevailing artificiality of each one. (That's another matter, though, one related to the title's sound design, not the actual quality of the mixes.) Air bubbles, swishing and swashing, and the warral warral warral of filtered tank water pour through the front and rear speakers with equal assertiveness. It's a bit odd actually, as the rear speakers tend to come on a little strong, but it isn't a problem per se. Even so, music ebbs and flows nicely across the entire soundfield, and the fluid, synthesized melodies are as clean and enveloping as they should be.

3D Aquarium Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No special features are included, save the viewing and listening options detailed above.

3D Aquarium Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

3D Aquarium is a decent, smartly priced release, even if its 3D isn't very impressive (or, really, very practical). Its 1080p video transfer is on par with other visually striking Topics Entertainment titles, its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks sound great, and it has enough value to justify the cost of admission.