Coral Reef Adventure

At Science World- Alcan OMNIMAX® Theatre
Vancouver, BC

WEB: www.coralfilm.com/

March 13, 2004 ---

Reviewed March 27, 2003

From the press release: “ From the dazzling underwater seascapes of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the mysterious deep ocean corals of Fiji, and from the azure skies above Tahiti to shark-filled canyons off isolated Rangiroa” viewers will be dazzled. “Coral Reef Adventure was recently named “IMAX Theatre Best Film of the Year” by the Giant Screen Theatre Association Achievement Awards.

The film follows husband and wife cinematography team Howard and Michelle Hall on a 10-month quest across the Pacific Ocean, during which they attempt to create a lasting record of coral reefs as they exist today. Their adventure reveals the vast array of unusual creatures that inhabit the reefs and captures unprecedented, mesmerizing underwater images of beauty as well as sobering images of reefs in decline.

Audiences will see how reef animals rely on each other in surprising ways. They'll swim with hundreds of gray reef sharks then zoom through coral canyons. But sadly, they will also swim through vast stretches of bleached coral bone yards, and learn with the Halls how our actions may cause these devastating results.

Along their journey the Halls meet scientists and conservationists working to understand and save the reefs. In Fiji, Rusi Vulakoro guides Howard and Michele to the beautifully pristine and mysteriously damaged reefs of his country. They also dive with world-renowned ocean advocate Jean-Michel Cousteau who feels at home in the world beneath the waves.

Coral Reef Adventure may be as close as you'll ever get to the intense challenges and rewards of ocean exploration. It's just the beginning of your real-life adventure, a growing global effort to understand, appreciate and protect our planet's coral reefs.”

Reviewed by: Caesi Bevis and Igor Stelmashenko

This is a first for a dive: the divers descended 350 feet down to explore areas never seen by man until now. This is a gorgeous film! The footage of Fiji is especially pretty. It is only enhanced by the music of Crosby, Stills and Nash and narration by Leem Neeson. It is jam-packed with information on the status of coral reefs. There is one memorable quote that stands out, to be remembered for a long time to come”

“We don't inherit the reef from our parents, we borrow them from our children.”

We learned a lot about the effects of global warming. There was also a lot of interesting footage of types of fish, especially of fish with horizontal stripes, and some with vertical stripes. There is also an interesting fight scene of two parrotfish, and some interesting close-up photography of an octopus with shrimp. If you like eye contact with fish, you'll love this film!

For those who have only heard of hyperbolic chambers, used when divers get the Bends, this film has live footage of one of the divers actually using it in order to save his life.

We highly recommend this film, for adults and students. It certainly earns IMAX's Film of the Year Award.