National Parks Adventure

There were a few decent scenes but its ruined by a poor soundtrack and a non stop subaru commercial. Not everyone that goes to the national parks are wearing puffy jackets and knitted hats in search of adventure. I would also like to add that there is more to this great country than the few places that are constantly covered in every nature documentry. This is just another film that perpetuates the idea that the national parks are only for crunchy granola eating hipsters.

Considering you gotta fork over a full-price ticket to see a short- subject film, I was certainly disappointed.

The film inexplicably features three people who use the National Parks as their personal playground. Bizarrely, the film spends 10 minutes or so watching them cooking, riding in their car, tightrope walking, whatever. A true waste of time. Maybe these three people in the movie were related to the director? I have no idea.

Add to it the bizarre disservice done to who should have showed up in the movie and been the centerpiece: Native Americans. Having three white people as the centerpiece was a truly strange way to "celebrate" our National Parks.

If you have ever heard the stories Native Americans have about the lands of our country, you would be transfixed! Truly fascinating. If we had heard about how they worship the land and believe in its power, it would have made a tremendous difference. Instead, all we get is a brief reference to it by off-screen narrator Robert Redford.

A true missed opportunity, and a true disappointment.

**** (4 Out of 10 Stars)

I stumped-up full price to see this 50 minute film expecting to see a documentary on the National Parks. Some of the shots were jaw-dropping: Grand Prismatic Lake and the Grand Canyon in particular. However, these kinds of vistas were few and far between. I was treated to the sight (in 3D & IMAX) of three people sitting inside of their car having a singalong, a girl balancing on a rope and a guy climbing 30 or 40 feet up a frozen waterfall. Instead of concentrating on this group's journey, and the fun time they had mountain biking, I would have liked to have seen more of the Parks of Utah. No mention of the Blue Ridge or Natchez Parkways either. The whole film struck me as a wasted opportunity to showcase the beauty and diversity of the National Parks. 4 stars for the truly impressive shots of the parks (which are not long enough anyway).

Generally speaking if you enjoy films from the Banff film festival you will probably enjoy this one. Gorgeous scenery, a personal story, and a general overview of the parks.

It is a really short documentary so we can't really see much of the great number of amazing national parks in America. Yet what we see is beautiful. Some amazing shots that make one want to just get up and go on a trip. Especially the Yellowstone park. In addition the documentary is not just about parks but about a group of people who do rock climbing there. not surprising since it is called "adventure". I liked the balance as there is not too much of it so most of the time one still watches the parks and at the same time they also offer some great shots such as their mountain bike riding. Loved the beautiful ice shots at the end and adorable prairie dogs which got a few minutes footage.