7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Think everything you see in your world is all there is to see? Think again! There is another world you can’t see, made up of things that are too small or things that move too fast or too slow for the naked eye to see. There is also stuff that is just plain invisible….UNTIL NOW! Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D takes you into these invisible realms that surround you every minute of the day to see what you are missing.
Narrator: Forest WhitakerDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Anyone who attended grade school in the Fifties and Sixties will recall the Bell Science 16mm
education films that provided a welcome break from the drudgery of math problems. Director
Louis Schwartzberg's 3D IMAX feature, Mysteries of the Unseen World, is the contemporary
equivalent. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin and produced by National Geographic and released to
theaters in November 2013, the film covers extensive territory in its trim 39 minutes, though
admittedly not in great depth. Its strength is its WOW! factor. Obviously aiming for the family
audience, Schwartzberg and writer Mose Richards aim to appeal to the child in all of us.
Tantalizing the eye with sights beyond the normal visual spectrum, they no doubt hope to inspire
viewers, especially younger ones, to explore some of these subjects further.
Virgil Films has released Mysteries in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack that is dramatic even in its 2D
presentation. In 3D it will be a provocative learning experience, although some images might be
frightening for younger kids. (The film is unrated.)
In 3D, this owl all but flies into your viewing room.
Photographraphed in IMAX by documentary specialist Sean MacLeod Phillips (Magnificent
Desolation: Walking on the Moon), Mysteries of the Unseen World is an interesting hybrid of
live-action footage and computer graphics. The live-action sequences involve, first, the bridging
sections with actors playing the family members who unite at the end for the birthday
celebration, and second, the various time-lapse, high-speed, infrared and other specialized
photographic captures that reveal otherwise unseen phenomena. (Some of these are vintage
historical clips, which are typically small rectangles within the larger IMAX frame.) The
computer graphics are used either for explanatory diagrams or, in the latter section of the film, to
animate the output of electron microscopy, which only produces still images. (The process is
explored in the disc's extras.) Post-production was completed on a digital intermediate, where
these various sources were harmonized and from which Virgil Film's 1080p, MVC-encoded Blu-ray was presumably sourced. (In 2D play, the disc reads
as AVC-encoded.)
In 2D, the image is clean, sharp, detailed and colorful, as befits the high resolution source. The
colors of the nature photography are especially rich, even in sequences (such as the time-lapse of
rotting strawberries) that may make some viewers squirm. The artistically hued magnifications of
such sights as a fruitfly's eye are sights that could rival H.R. Giger for nightmarish visions,
though thankfully the film's editors do not linger on any of these for too long.
In 3D, the live-action photography acquires an additional sense of spaciousness from the
additional depth, and certain shots have obviously been staged to take advantage of the extra
dimension: an early scene where a young girl aims a garden hose in the camera's direction; a
time-lapse of roses effectively popping out of their pot (and the frame); a coiled snake striking, in
slow motion, directly at the viewer; a majestic owl swooping, again in slow motion, down toward
the camera. Graphics and synthesized images, such as those from an electron microscope,
provide a less startling impact, but the additional depth often helps clarify the many layers of
detail, especially in images that are, by their very nature, foreign to anyone's daily experience.
Both versions provide a satisfying viewing experience, with a slight edge to the 3D. Mysteries
was made for a giant IMAX screen, but it has translated well to the home theater.
The chief components in Mysteries' 5.1 soundtrack, encoded on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA, are Forest Whitaker's narration, which is always clear, and Paul Haslinger's (Underworld, Death Race) lively score, which is always tuneful with broad dynamic range. Additional sound effects are blended in as necessary to accompany specific events depicted onscreen: background chatter, thunder, the buzzing of a mosquito, etc.
Mysteries of the Unseen World is the rare combination of education and spectacle that succeeds
on both counts. If, as seems possible, the support for 3D Blu-ray feature releases declines, the
disc is an excellent alternative and may even inspire someone in your household to learn more
about some of the subjects covered in the documentary. Highly recommended.
IMAX
2012
2019
2010
IMAX
2010
2009
1922-1962
IMAX
2015
2012
2018
2011
2009
IMAX
2011
2011
2013
IMAX
1996
2019
IMAX Enhanced
2018
IMAX
1999
IMAX
2013
2008