Deep Sea 3D (IMAX)

Deep Sea 3D is the 70mm IMAX production that lets you swim alongside our planet's most exotic creatures living in the waters of Hawaii and Mexico. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet narrate as Green Sea Turtles gather so Surgeonfish can strip harmful algae from their shells. A Humboldt Squid changes color four times per second, like a flashing strobe light. A Mantis Shrimp's claws have the speed of a bullet in battling a hungry octopus. Submerge yourself in the deep sea underworld. (Gary Reber)

There are no special features.

The 1.78:1 1080p MVC 3-D picture is spectacular! The stunning imagery exhibits incredible resolution, with fine details fully depicted. The realism is unbelievable! One feels as if you are behind the glass of your private aquarium, looking into the fascinating and mysterious deep sea world, except that creatures actually protrude out from the screen. Every nuance of the gritty sea floor and the marine life that it supports are clearly discernible. You feel as if you can reach out and touch the varied life forms and their surrounds. While the ocean is naturally murky in some scenes and colors are obscured, the picture never fails to reveal the multiplicity of underwater creatures. Often the filmmakers are able to capture the truly diversified and brilliant hues of that world, which are striking in undersea environments that still thrive. Depressingly, though, the other imagery shows dying coral reefs due to overfishing, which causes entire eco systems to unravel. The imagery is vastly diverse. Black levels appear naturally balanced during night scenes, with creatures offset from each other against the black backdrop. Impressively, this is REAL 3D! Every frame exhibits extraordinary depth and perspective perception, beginning with the opening IMAX logo roll followed by a real wave that crashes straight through the screen to pull you
underneath to witness this wondrous undersea world. This new world seems so real in 3D and creates the sensation that you are actually one of the divers operating the camera. The numerous creatures exhibit shape and volume, with fish displaying round shapes. There is no apparent double image ghosting artifacts, for a virtually faultless 3-D experience that will amaze. (Gary Reber)

The 5.1-channel soundtrack imparts a mellow, laid-back feel with rather dry, uninspired narration by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. The encoding is in the legacy Dolby® Digital lossy format. Danny Elfman's score is dreamy, with a wide and deep soundstage presence that extends subtly to the surround channels. Only during moments of deep sea stirring do the surround channels consciously engage, though, bass is minimal. Except for the orchestral music score, there is no really distinguished element in the sound that matches the dramatic visualization of the undersea world. Still, the sound is serviceable, with a subtle, but enveloping surround presence that is pleasing. (Gary Reber)