I was a little disappointed in the wild life shots, particularly because a Killer Whale is never shown (I don't think even mentioned) and which is a major component of that ecosystem. The shots of seals and penguins on the surface seemed a little distant and didn't have that usual Imax touch to it.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there just seems to be something missing. I watched Imax's Everest title back to back with this one. The Everest one is so much tighter. I think because you get a better feel for the people you're watching on screen, whereas with the Antarctica program, there really isn't a tour guide. It's more disjointed and it plays very choppy. When it's good, it's very good, but there's some lapses there in between the underwater scenes where it just looks like they're at the local ski resort. I never felt like I was shown the expanse, danger, history, complete beauty of Antarctica.

It is still a wonderful program, although I think I would have been just as happy renting it. I don't think it will get dozens of plays like the Everest title will.


Captures the wonder and majesty of Antarctica   September 16, 2001
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

This 1991 documentary was created for an IMAX presentation so I seriously wondered how this video would look on my little TV scene. Of course it could never be the same, but I had nothing to worry about because this 38-minute Australian documentary definitely captures the wonder and majesty of Antarctica. I learned something too and held my breathe in awe when the camera showed how the crevices in the glaciers are sometimes covered with such a thin sheet of ice that it will not sustain the weight of a person. However, they did bring a camera down there and it was a treat to see something that had never been filmed before. Another great shot was a timed exposure of the sun as it travels around the pole. There was also excellent cinematography of seals and of penguins although I wish they had skipped the silly background music, which tried to be humorous while showing the penguins diving. There were also a few film clips from the 1948 British film "Scott of Antarctica".

I understand that the film cost $3.5 million to produce and that the film crew had to drag 2300 pounds of Imax equipment around, including one camera that never worked in the frigid temperatures. It took two Antarctic summers to film and the crew stayed at the American, French, Russian and Chinese scientific camps, getting some interesting footage of the scientists themselves and their experiments. The inevitable conclusion is that global warming is a serious threat that we cannot ignore. This is a great video for those of us who will likely never visit this coldest, driest, windiest and last unexplored place on earth. Recommended.


Could have been a lot better...   July 7, 2000
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

If Imax is now the best quality available on dvd and Anctartica one of the unexplored wonders of our world, you could expect a visual masterpiece. This isn't. Nevertheless, it's not terrible either. The problem here is the lack of empathy that this documentary brings. Yes, penguins look stunning and glaciers also do the trick, but if you're going to go to a place so hostile, yet so diverse, as Anctartica you should expect more information, more soul put into it and, of course, the magic that other documentaries such as Africa-The Serengeti, Imax-Alaska or The Living Seas display. Buy it only if you want to complete your Imax collection.


Visually stunning but poorly directed   March 19, 2000
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

The film quality is superb, and IMAX fans will not be disappointed in the cinematography. Overall, however, the film is unfocused and lacks purpose and direction. In addition, the music soundtrack and narration is surprisingly annoying. If you are interested in Antarctica, I recommend this film, but you might want to turn the sound off.