Récifs coralliens

The shots are beautiful. The not so subtle message is not. This movie had the potential to be great art, but fails miserably because of the preachy ness of its message. It is worth seeing because of the footage of under water beauty. The images of the dying reefs are powerful enough without the politicized sermon. A few words of explanation would have been more than enough, but in the end we are left with propaganda instead of art. One scene contains images of several small children with earnest expressions as the narrator tells us explicitly that the children depend upon a healthy reef. I found myself rolling my eyes as I was hit over the head with "the message". I care about children, but this scene tries too hard causing it to fail. Instead of being engaged by the movie I found it very disappointing.

It's Australia's Great Barrier Reef, moving to Fiji and beyond. Sadly I did not see it in Imax as intended but the underwater footage still looks amazing. I will say that I've never seen anyone get their teeth cleaned in that way. The above water stuff is less compelling. The animation is plenty good enough to transition from one location to the next. Flyover is probably best in Imax but it looks great no matter what. One of the better things this movie does is time-lapsed photography. The slow bleaching of a coral is great visualization of warming temperatures. It allows for a soft insistent message on global warming. The music from Crosby Stills & Nash is great. I expected more narration from Liam Neeson. All in all, this is a nice visual plea for the environment.

Coral Reef Adventure (2003)

*** (out of 4)

Liam Neeson narrates this IMAX documentary taking a look at the coral reefs of the South Pacific. Underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall try to explain the importance of the reef as well as explain why it would so damaging if Global Warming destroyed it. CORAL REEF ADVENTURE, obviously, is best seen on an IMAX screen but even on a smaller screen I think people are going to be entertained simply by the beauty of the subject matter. There are a few problems with the film including the fact that it includes a lot of preaching about the doom and gloom of Global Warming. I'm sure if you believe in the great warming debate then you're not going to mind more preaching but as someone who doesn't want to be preached to constantly, the subject started to wear on me. One of the mixed things is that Crosby, Stills and Nash does the soundtrack, which includes a couple of their hits like Teach Your Children and Our House. The cool nature of their vocal tone really works nicely with the visuals on the screen but where the music doesn't work is when these songs are sung by some children. Those unfamiliar with the reefs are going to get a good history lesson on what they are, how they work and what diseases they help fight. I think it goes without saying that the greatest thing about the film are the visuals, which are just downright beautiful. The cameras get you so close to the action that you almost feel as if you're down there swimming. The vivid colors really jump off the screen as words can't describe how beautiful all the reefs are.

We (my wife and I) really enjoyed this documentary movie on the fragile coral reefs. As this is in the IMAX format you really feel like your are diving in the South Pacific or the Caribbean. We are occasional scuba divers and snorkelers and have always loved the magnificent hues of coral reef waters. So anyone with similar interests should see this documentary as it makes a strong message about the reefs and shows the beauty we all may lose if left unprotected. The colors are very vibrant and the surround sound is just another benefit added to the great musical score by Crosby, Stills, & Nash! You'll go home singing all those classics from their Deja Vu album from the late 60's!

This film gives a beautiful display of how wondrous and beautiful the worlds

coral reefs are. It also shows how the worlds coral reefs are dying. The reefs are dying for a number of reasons. 1. Over fishing, because fish eat the alga that grows over the coral, and will engulf the coral if there are no fish to eat it. 2. is because of global warming. If the ocean gets too warm the will not be able to withstand the warmth and will gradually die out. 3. Is because of pollution. The pollution can come from a number places. It could come from sewerage

dumped into the sea, it could from rivers that have turned muddy because of

tree logging. Also the removal of mangrove trees, because mangrove trees help to consume the pollution and prevent it from reaching the sea.

This film shows not only the Great Barrier Reef, it also takes you the coral reefs of tropical island such as Fiji Tahiti and Bora Bora. For some of the Fijian

people, the reefs provide much more than just a beautiful paradise they also

provide food because of all the sea creatures that live there. So if the reefs were to die, many Fijians could starve.

So the basic morals this film teaches is how beautiful and important the worlds coral reefs are and that they could all die in the next three decades unless we do something about it.