Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
'Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk' follows the great Colorado River as it
reveals the most pressing environmental story of our time: the world's growing
shortage of fresh water. Join environmental advocates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and
Wade Davis as they set out with their daughters, traveling deep into the Grand
Canyon and down the river that runs through it. Your pulse will quicken as you are
invited to join this thrilling ride downriver through raging rapids and breathtaking
canyons. With stunning photography and sweeping aerial shots the renowned
filmmakers capture all the majesty of the Colorado and The Grand Canyon in the
largest film format ever made.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
Water is the most crucial element on the planet. It covers over two-thirds of the Earth's surface, comprises well over
half of the human body, and is an essential ingredient for the survival of every life form in the world. With its great
importance comes great responsibility in ensuring it not only remains, but thrives, in its natural environments
around
the world. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, narrated by Robert Redford, looks at the history,
importance, and dwindling supply of water running through the Colorado River, located along the Southwestern
portion
of the United States. This 2008 picture, released in stunning IMAX 3D, plays as a fascinating tool meant to
educate and inform; it's as much history, geography, and science lesson as it is cautionary environmental tale, and
it's backed
by passionate conservationists and, best of all, breathtakingly grand photography befitting a picture that's not only
environmentally aware and important, but reflective of the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon and desert
Southwest.
Running at a brisk 45 minutes in length, Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk finds just the right balance
that allows its message to be heard loudly and clearly without playing as too heavy-handed, all the while allowing its
audience
to bask in the natural glory of the world around them while at the same time leaving them with something to think
about long after the picture and its gorgeous visuals have come to an end.
Reflections on the environment.
Director Greg MacGillivray's (Coral Reef Adventure) Grand
Canyon
Adventure: River at Risk brings attention to the dwindling water supplies around the world; the film highlights
shrinking glaciers, the diminishing Lake Chad, and most central to the film's message, the disappearance of water
from
the Colorado River. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk follows Author Wade Davis and a group of fellow
conservationists -- Tara Davis, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Kick Kennedy -- as they traverse the river with guide
Shana Watahomigie and explore the many ways in which
it's
changed over the years, and mostly for the worse. Though 75% of the river's water is derived from Rocky Mountain
snow, the river's long, windy trek through dry desert lands -- not to mention the impact of the Hoover Dam;
vanishing
rainwaters and missed rainfall projections; global warming; and the need to supply human population centers with
water, with emphasis on the consumption requirements of Las Vegas -- have impacted its volume and drastically
lessened its water levels to the point that its Mexican delta, a once thriving haven for fisherman, has vanished. The
film also examines what a lesser Colorado River will mean to future generations, the impact of wild and foreign
vegetation along
its
banks, and the vanishing species that once lived in and around the Colorado. The film concludes with several tips
that
everyday viewers can integrate into their lives to help in the battle to conserve water.
If Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk sometimes seems like it allows its message to play as too
heavy-handed, well, that's apparently the point of the film. At several junctures the rhythm of the picture's display
of wondrous natural scenery is interrupted by sobering statistics, shocking imagery, and disheartening stories, but
such is the picture's effective contrast that pits the natural beauty of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon area
against the disappearance of water and the altering landscapes and ecosystems that's a result of the many
damaging elements currently working against this vital natural resource. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at
Risk certainly puts on a dazzling display of scenery -- about as much beauty and natural wonder as one can
possibly imagine over a 45-minute runtime -- and the warnings about the possibility that future generations might
not be afforded the same opportunity to enjoy it in-person strikes at the very heart of the experience. Fortunately,
the film never becomes at all preachy or distastefully one-sided; the picture is a labor of love that wants only to bring
attention to what the filmmakers perceive as a dangerous interruption to the environment while also sharing with
its viewers the innate natural beauty of the area that only reinforces the need to make sure it doesn't disappear
forever.
Still, what's best about Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is that the movie holds up as pure eye candy
that serves as something of an escape from the urban jungles and sprawl that seem to have all but erased
much of the natural splendor of the world around man, at least in those areas in which he most commonly
frequents. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is the sort of film one can watch with the lights low and
the volume down and simply marvel at the natural beauty on display, for even those images of lessened and
disturbed natural locales seem breathtakingly gorgeous next to that old dank alleyway and curvy highway system
that sits outside the bedroom window or office cubicle. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is also, it
would seem, a
prime candidate to serve duty in any number of areas inside the classroom. As much about history as it is the
present and future, as much about human geography as it is physical geography, and covering a wide swath of
scientifically-based
observations and studies, the film is far more than a cautionary environmental tale and a gorgeous slice of IMAX eye
candy. Educators can rest assured that this film will hold student interest and spark a wide range of discussions,
from the importance of water to every living organism on the planet to the recent debate over the validity of global
warming itself.
Germany's 3D Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk sports what is the finest live action
high definition 3D release yet. It's competition: the 720p Goldberg Variations Acoustica and the
dismal German release of Clash of the Titans. It would seem
that
Grand Canyon's 1080p transfer would simply win by default, but the disc is strong on its own merits, even if
it
does exhibit a few problems that have the potential to become eyesores for some viewers but don't necessarily
diminish
the overal quality and visual impact of this impressive release. First things first, Grand Canyon Adventure: River
at
Risk's 3D presentation yields a strong image in those categories not necessarily reliant on 3D. Detailing is
incredibly
strong; viewers will feel drawn into the experience not only through the oftentimes mesmerizing 3D visuals but
through
the Blu-ray disc's ability to capture even the finest of nuances on pebbly terrain, rough and worn rock faces, and even
the water that flows both calmly and aggressively down the Colorado. Colors are amazingly rich and don't appear to
suffer through the filter of the 3D lenses. The earthy hues that dominate the palette -- particularly the rich reds,
browns,
and
oranges that define much of the Southwestern landscape -- seem as lifelike as what the eye may perceive in real
life.
The Blu-ray is traditionally strong in every critical area, and the 3D presentation is its match.
Even from the main menu, viewers will get a glimpse as to the quality of this 3D presentation from German studio
Euro Vision. It features a water bubble that seems to hover off the screen -- and at a relatively great distance at that
-- that sets the stage for the screen-stretching visuals that are to follow. Indeed, Grand Canyon Adventure: River
at Risk is a playground for 3D visuals brought to gloriously rich and perceptibly deep life. There's plenty of
opportunities for the film to seemingly splash water into the living room and capture the unique rock formations and
various environmental curiosities with lifelike precision, and never does the transfer let its audience down. By film's
end, 3D viewers will feel like they've been on the adventure down the Colorado and leave the experience everything
but wet. The transfer delivers the natural wonders with a clear and perceptible sense of depth that must be seen to
be believed, and it would seem that the Colorado and the Grand Canyon were the perfect testing grounds to prove
3D's worth. Unfortunately, the image suffers from moderate-to-heavy ghosting; everything from tree branches to
individual blades of grass are sometimes displayed with that dreaded "double image" that's easily the most visible and
annoying fault of some of the early Blu-ray 3D presentations. Ghosting is heavier here than on any of the other 3D
discs released to date -- including Monsters vs. Aliens -- but the sheer
quality of the remainder of the transfer almost makes up for it. Additionally, several objects appear almost
transparent as a result of some of the most egregious ghosting, but such blatantly heavy and obvious double images
are the exception rather than the rule. No doubt about it, some viewers will be turned off by the relatively heavy
amount of ghosting, but it's hard to ignore how deep the picture looks and how finely detailed and precisely colored it
appears in high-def 3D.
Please note that screenshots 1-15 have been captured from the 2D version of the film located on the 3D disc; images
16-20 are still photographs of the 3D picture in action.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D sports a pair of DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one each in
English and German. The picture opens with dialogue that seems to bounce around the walls of the Grand Canyon, and,
by
extension, the listening area; the
disc delivers a nicely-realized echoing effect as the words seem to float about the soundstage and emanate from every
speaker in the set-up. In fact, the track delivers plenty of surround information through both the more nuanced sound
effects of the natural environment coming alive around the Colorado River and the most potent and engaging effects of
powerful water rushing through the speakers. The Dave Matthews score sounds incredibly crisp and
smooth, also with a good rear-channel support element but dominated by a flowing, spacious front-half presentation.
The low end enjoys a bit of action during the most powerful of scenes that feature rushing water pounding through the
listening area. Additionally, dialogue is consistently sharp and clean as it's delivered effortlessly from the center channel.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D sounds just as good as it looks, and these lossless soundtracks,
courtesy of Euro Video, are the ultimate sonic companion to a gorgeous video presentation.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D contains a few extras. Making Of (480p, 33:42) runs
two-thirds the length of the film but covers a nice bit of information, including -- and most fascinatingly -- the difficult
process of shooting with complex and very heavy and delicate IMAX 3D cameras in the rough terrain around the Grand
Canyon and the raging waters up and down the Colorado River. Tara's Music Video (480p, 4:06) features
one of
the film's stars singing "Water." Dave Matthews Soundtrack serves up both "Grand Canyon Falls" and "Lava
Falls," both of which simply play over the special features page. Also included is BD-Live functionality; the Grand
Canyon Adventure: River at Risk trailer (1080p, 1:44); and
additional 1080p trailers for Alps, Dinosaurs Alive, Hurricane on the Bayou, Journey Into Amazing Caves, Mummies, Ride Around the World, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, and Wild Ocean.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is a breathtakingly-filmed IMAX 3D presentation that abounds with
gorgeous photography of some of the Earth's most precious natural resources and locales. The film also delivers
something of a cautionary commentary on the current state of the Colorado River and surrounding areas, warning that
the dwindling water supply has altered the ecosystem and that future generations may not be able to enjoy its natural
beauty
or reap the rewards of a healthy, vibrant natural environment. Though the message sometimes overwhelms the
imagery, that juxtaposition only reinforces the film's message and seems to make it all the more timely, particularly
considering that the latest in 3D and high definition technology only further enhance the natural wonders of the area
and deliver the next-best sensation to actually being there. This German 3D Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon
Adventure: River at Risk looks fantastic, and even moderate ghosting can't diminish how effective the 3D
presentation is and how crisp and detailed the image appears. Supported by a few strong extras and a pair of high
quality lossless soundtracks, this region-free Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk deserves
a spot in every 3D Blu-ray collection. Highly recommended.
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During the Media-Tech fair in Frankfurt, German authoring studio Imagion announced that it's currently producing what will be the first European-produced 3D Blu-ray: the documentary Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, originally shot using IMAX 3D cameras. This ...
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