Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Wonders of the Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 17, 2024

Now that we can no longer call Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Governator," maybe now we can call him the "Narratator." Rather than terminating human resistance fighters, he's now telling the story of the world's natural undersea wonders in the documentary film Wonders of the Sea. In fact, Arnold says in the film's intro that he has lent his talents to this film, far away from any kind of work he has done before, because this is an important film. Important though it may be, it's not a dramatically original film. It's a largely engaging, largely satisfying, and largely well made, yet largely similar to other likeminded fare that explore the ocean's depth and unveil its secrets. Truth be told there can't be too many of these sorts of films, but to call this one more than, well, "largely good" rather than "necessary" would be to stretch the truth.

Official synopsis: Narrated by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Michel Cousteau and his family embark on an awe-inspiring underwater voyage. From Fijo to the Bahamas, they dive alongside mysterious sea life and share a love of the ocean with viewers of all ages.

That is a very terse, yet very accurate, depiction of what Wonders of the Sea is all about, and such a capsule synopsis seems appropriate for such a capsule film. Diverse in the life it explores though it may be, Wonders of the Sea is about as straightforward as these sorts of films come. It's a satisfyingly educational deep dive into the deep sea, looking at a world that is teeming with life and curiosities that the film adequately shows and explains. There's nothing groundbreaking in terms of the film's structure or even the creatures themselves. The film was intended to be seen in 3-D, which is not part of its home video release, which might play a part in a slight souring of what it truly has to offer. Audiences will find the film to be educationally worthwhile, technically sound, and often lovely to behold, but the same can be said of countless other IMAX-style films out there.

Indeed, "IMAX-style" is an apt descriptor here. From the feel for the larger format, the booming audio, and the blend of educational monologuing alongside Arnold's narration, Wonders of the Sea practically feels like it's an IMAX film. It's briskly paced and spends a good bit of time with the characters as they prep for dives or travel to locations in addition to, of course, the underwater exploration. The film, then, aims to offer its viewers a fuller picture of the how's and the why's rather than just drop the end result on the screen. It's more than just a camera pointed at exotic creatures; it's also the microphone capturing the heart and soul of the undersea explorers as they both share their knowledge of and enthusiasm for the undersea world teeming with incredible life and as they plead for preserving these unseen, yet very special and indeed very necessary, treasures.

So, how is Arnold at the whole narration thing? Not bad. Not bad at all. He's used more sparingly than he is fully, as noted above, sharing time rather than dominating time, but he lends a voice that is, of course, first and foremost, infinitely familiar but also managing to offer a very caring cadence and a legitimate sense of heart for the material and a desire to see the film succeed not just in a commercial sense but in an environmental sense as well. Arnie's passion for the project, and the undersea life it focuses on, and the environment at large is obvious, but he never panders, instead offering a surprisingly rich and rewarding narration that advances scenes and tells the story with humility and grace.

Wonders of the Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wonders of the Sea was originally intended to be presented in 3-D, and that version is not included with this release. That might be one of the driving factors for my ambivalence towards the film; it may have indeed played better as it was intended to be seen. Nevertheless, as it is here, both a Blu-ray and a UHD are included, so here are a few words about each.

The Blu-ray presented at 1080p is a satisfying venture, especially in terms of color output where blue ocean water is a highlight but more so the colorful sea creatures that abound throughout the film. There's a beautiful myriad of oranges, yellows, purples, blues, and all variety of colors to behold that are nicely distinguished, full and vivid, and satisfying in every shot. Audiences will never bemoan the lack of color or the fullness and satisfying presentations thereof. Further, black levels are very rich and deep, especially during some of the deep underwater excursions where there is a complete absence of light. The image's detailing is solid, too, though at times slightly limited by the capabilities of the underwater gear, as good as it may be. Burt certainly even at 1080p there is enough resolution muscle here to capture very fine textural qualities and characteristics on the complex sea creatures. There is some mild banding and compression related issues, at times, but these are never a serious distraction.

The UHD presentation does up the game for the film, especially considering the HDR color grading. After watching the Blu-ray first, I was almost shocked to see just how much better the film looks with the incredibly bolder ocean blues and dive suits as the first of many examples of just how much deeper, richer, and fuller are the colors on the UHD image. Of course, the sea life is just overflowing with incredibly vivid colors that leap off the screen. It's wonderful to see the variety of greens, reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows so bold and brilliant here that adds a new layer of life and visual excellence to the presentation. Clarity is better, too, with sharper details to the fine qualities and characteristics of coral, fish, and even the humans who sporadically appear in the film. The sharper textures give this a very lifelike image that almost looks like seeing the content firsthand at an aquarium.

Wonders of the Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack accompanies both the Blu-ray and UHD presentations. It's been engineered in a way that is reflective of the IMAX documentary style in that it's a bit over cranked and slightly booming for impact. Music is especially so, and so are some core sound effects, like when divers dive into the water. Limited by the front two channels there's no surround spacing at play, of course, but the track does push big into the two available speakers to offer as much content as possible, with some discrete elements and clear and obvious separation between the channels as well. Dialogue does not always image to the center but appears to try and match character location along the front as they speak, such as during planning meetings on the ship. Core narration, however, does find a nicely grounded front-center location. Both can be slightly booming, but clarity and intelligibility are just fine.

Wonders of the Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Wonders of the Sea contains the same extras on both the Blu-ray and UHD discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger (1080p, 6:24): Arnold discusses his draw to the material, working with Jean-Michel Cousteau, the sea creatures seen in the film, his concern for the environment, and more.
• Making of Wonders of the Sea (1080p, 2:44): A lightning-quick look at bringing Schwarzenegger on board to do the voice work, technical equipment used in the shoot, the filmmaking process, the film's aims, and more.
• Music Video (1080p, 5:05): "Heart of the Ocean."

Wonders of the Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A quote from The Hollywood Reporter on the back of the Blu-ray packaging calls the film "a feast for the eyes," and that is indeed an apt descriptor. It's a fascinating film, teeming with vivid underwater creatures and all sorts of amazing creatures to explore. It's certainly not a new standard for its genre, and it's not as socially penetrating or even politically important as it really wants to be, but it is a solid film and fine example of its type. It is suitable for individual consumption, viewing by families, or even classroom duty. Screen Media's Blu-ray and UHD discs deliver very good video and audio presentations, and there are even a few extras included, too, to sweeten the deal. Recommended.