6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
'Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk' follows the great Colorado River as it reveals the most pressing environmental story of our time: the world's growing shortage of fresh water. Join environmental advocates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Wade Davis as they set out with their daughters, traveling deep into the Grand Canyon and down the river that runs through it. Your pulse will quicken as you are invited to join this thrilling ride downriver through raging rapids and breathtaking canyons. With stunning photography and sweeping aerial shots the renowned filmmakers capture all the majesty of the Colorado and The Grand Canyon in the largest film format ever made.
Narrator: Robert RedfordDocumentary | 100% |
Nature | 81% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.43:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German, English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
Water is the most crucial element on the planet. It covers over two-thirds of the Earth's surface, comprises well over
half of the human body, and is an essential ingredient for the survival of every life form in the world. With its great
importance comes great responsibility in ensuring it not only remains, but thrives, in its natural environments
around
the world. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, narrated by Robert Redford, looks at the history,
importance, and dwindling supply of water running through the Colorado River, located along the Southwestern
portion
of the United States. This 2008 picture, released in stunning IMAX 3D, plays as a fascinating tool meant to
educate and inform; it's as much history, geography, and science lesson as it is cautionary environmental tale, and
it's backed
by passionate conservationists and, best of all, breathtakingly grand photography befitting a picture that's not only
environmentally aware and important, but reflective of the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon and desert
Southwest.
Running at a brisk 45 minutes in length, Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk finds just the right balance
that allows its message to be heard loudly and clearly without playing as too heavy-handed, all the while allowing its
audience
to bask in the natural glory of the world around them while at the same time leaving them with something to think
about long after the picture and its gorgeous visuals have come to an end.
Reflections on the environment.
Germany's 3D Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk sports what is the finest live action
high definition 3D release yet. It's competition: the 720p Goldberg Variations Acoustica and the
dismal German release of Clash of the Titans. It would seem
that
Grand Canyon's 1080p transfer would simply win by default, but the disc is strong on its own merits, even if
it
does exhibit a few problems that have the potential to become eyesores for some viewers but don't necessarily
diminish
the overal quality and visual impact of this impressive release. First things first, Grand Canyon Adventure: River
at
Risk's 3D presentation yields a strong image in those categories not necessarily reliant on 3D. Detailing is
incredibly
strong; viewers will feel drawn into the experience not only through the oftentimes mesmerizing 3D visuals but
through
the Blu-ray disc's ability to capture even the finest of nuances on pebbly terrain, rough and worn rock faces, and even
the water that flows both calmly and aggressively down the Colorado. Colors are amazingly rich and don't appear to
suffer through the filter of the 3D lenses. The earthy hues that dominate the palette -- particularly the rich reds,
browns,
and
oranges that define much of the Southwestern landscape -- seem as lifelike as what the eye may perceive in real
life.
The Blu-ray is traditionally strong in every critical area, and the 3D presentation is its match.
Even from the main menu, viewers will get a glimpse as to the quality of this 3D presentation from German studio
Euro Vision. It features a water bubble that seems to hover off the screen -- and at a relatively great distance at that
-- that sets the stage for the screen-stretching visuals that are to follow. Indeed, Grand Canyon Adventure: River
at Risk is a playground for 3D visuals brought to gloriously rich and perceptibly deep life. There's plenty of
opportunities for the film to seemingly splash water into the living room and capture the unique rock formations and
various environmental curiosities with lifelike precision, and never does the transfer let its audience down. By film's
end, 3D viewers will feel like they've been on the adventure down the Colorado and leave the experience everything
but wet. The transfer delivers the natural wonders with a clear and perceptible sense of depth that must be seen to
be believed, and it would seem that the Colorado and the Grand Canyon were the perfect testing grounds to prove
3D's worth. Unfortunately, the image suffers from moderate-to-heavy ghosting; everything from tree branches to
individual blades of grass are sometimes displayed with that dreaded "double image" that's easily the most visible and
annoying fault of some of the early Blu-ray 3D presentations. Ghosting is heavier here than on any of the other 3D
discs released to date -- including Monsters vs. Aliens -- but the sheer
quality of the remainder of the transfer almost makes up for it. Additionally, several objects appear almost
transparent as a result of some of the most egregious ghosting, but such blatantly heavy and obvious double images
are the exception rather than the rule. No doubt about it, some viewers will be turned off by the relatively heavy
amount of ghosting, but it's hard to ignore how deep the picture looks and how finely detailed and precisely colored it
appears in high-def 3D.
Please note that screenshots 1-15 have been captured from the 2D version of the film located on the 3D disc; images
16-20 are still photographs of the 3D picture in action.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D sports a pair of DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one each in English and German. The picture opens with dialogue that seems to bounce around the walls of the Grand Canyon, and, by extension, the listening area; the disc delivers a nicely-realized echoing effect as the words seem to float about the soundstage and emanate from every speaker in the set-up. In fact, the track delivers plenty of surround information through both the more nuanced sound effects of the natural environment coming alive around the Colorado River and the most potent and engaging effects of powerful water rushing through the speakers. The Dave Matthews score sounds incredibly crisp and smooth, also with a good rear-channel support element but dominated by a flowing, spacious front-half presentation. The low end enjoys a bit of action during the most powerful of scenes that feature rushing water pounding through the listening area. Additionally, dialogue is consistently sharp and clean as it's delivered effortlessly from the center channel. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D sounds just as good as it looks, and these lossless soundtracks, courtesy of Euro Video, are the ultimate sonic companion to a gorgeous video presentation.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D contains a few extras. Making Of (480p, 33:42) runs two-thirds the length of the film but covers a nice bit of information, including -- and most fascinatingly -- the difficult process of shooting with complex and very heavy and delicate IMAX 3D cameras in the rough terrain around the Grand Canyon and the raging waters up and down the Colorado River. Tara's Music Video (480p, 4:06) features one of the film's stars singing "Water." Dave Matthews Soundtrack serves up both "Grand Canyon Falls" and "Lava Falls," both of which simply play over the special features page. Also included is BD-Live functionality; the Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk trailer (1080p, 1:44); and additional 1080p trailers for Alps, Dinosaurs Alive, Hurricane on the Bayou, Journey Into Amazing Caves, Mummies, Ride Around the World, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, and Wild Ocean.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is a breathtakingly-filmed IMAX 3D presentation that abounds with gorgeous photography of some of the Earth's most precious natural resources and locales. The film also delivers something of a cautionary commentary on the current state of the Colorado River and surrounding areas, warning that the dwindling water supply has altered the ecosystem and that future generations may not be able to enjoy its natural beauty or reap the rewards of a healthy, vibrant natural environment. Though the message sometimes overwhelms the imagery, that juxtaposition only reinforces the film's message and seems to make it all the more timely, particularly considering that the latest in 3D and high definition technology only further enhance the natural wonders of the area and deliver the next-best sensation to actually being there. This German 3D Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk looks fantastic, and even moderate ghosting can't diminish how effective the 3D presentation is and how crisp and detailed the image appears. Supported by a few strong extras and a pair of high quality lossless soundtracks, this region-free Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk deserves a spot in every 3D Blu-ray collection. Highly recommended.
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