If you're anything like me and snorkeling is (for reasons involving eyesight and/or physical dexterity) not your cup of saltwater, then swim right up to this specialty feature as the next best thing.
Under the Sea is a documentary adventure shot in the Imax process that offers underwater locations in Southern Australia, New Guinea, and the Indo-Pacific region -- the "Coral Triangle" that boasts more aquatic species than any other location on the planet -- as it explores the beauty and wonder of the vast, exotic, mysterious oceans.
Narrated by a decidedly restrained Jim Carrey -- who at first seems a curious choice, but performs without a trace of pet-detective-Ace-Ventura absurdism -- the edutaining script delivers its ultimate message about the interdependence of species in a casually informative, visually enthralling package.
Dazzling sea creatures of all stripes remind us that the best special effects are still generated by nature itself.
Stonefish, sea turtles, shrimp, garden eels, cuttlefish, squid, sea snakes, frogfish, potato cod, catfish, sea dragons, butterfly fish, stingrays, convict fish, sea lions, jellyfish, dwarf minke whales, chambered nautilus, and the great white shark are all offered up close and personal, performing swimmingly as they move across the screen in all their casual magnificence and grace, looking like winners in an inadvertent pageant.
Hey, who needs to snorkel?
The understated cautionary script does acknowledge the impact of global climate change, with harmful carbon dioxide destroying the coral reefs and rising temperatures and increased pollution doing damage to the fragile ecosystem by raising the oceans' acidity. But the narration stops short of being pushy or preachy.
With the splendidly utilized Imax technology, the images -- all enormous, some monstrous, some beautiful, and some both -- have a majestic power and an uncanny vividness, a mesmerizing high-definition clarity that sometimes takes our breath away.
As these sea creatures float and slither toward us as if for a face-to-face encounter, we feel as if we can reach out and touch them -- not that we necessarily want to, of course. When the film ends, it's all we can not to begin toweling off.
The writer-director of this underwater travelogue, Imax veteran Howard Hall (Into the Deep, Island of the Sharks, Deep Sea), adopts a deep sea diver's point-of-view as he presents us with the stunning underwater ballet that is sea life.
The fish are the stars and youngsters are the target audience, which is why explicit predatory carnage is minimal.
The brisk 40-minute running time is actually much too short -- which is both a criticism ("Hey, I want more!") and a compliment ("Wow, I want more!").
Still, Hall's script could or should have been structured more effectively so that the ending did not seem so abrupt and the experience so ephemeral. But, then, that's the nature of a less-than-feature-length film.
So we'll swim toward 2½ stars out of 4 for the kid-friendly (G-rated), gently illuminating Under the Sea. It just might qualify as the most spectacular aquarium visit, vicarious or otherwise, that you and yours have ever experienced.
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Movie Reviews - Week of 11/16/09
KYW movie critic Bill Wine gives his thoughts on the movies "Planet 51," "New Moon," and "The Blind Side." (3:02)
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This week KYW's Steve Nikazy and KYW movie critic Bill Wine take a look at the drama "Precious," the adventure disaster "2012," and the comedy "Pirate Radio." (17:24)
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This week KYW's Steve Nikazy and KYW movie critic Bill Wine look at the comedy-war film, "The Men Who Stare at Goats," the animated re-make, "A Christmas Carol," and the horror-mystery-thriller "The Fourth Kind." (18:45)
Movie Reviews - Week of 11/2/09
KYW movie critic Bill Wine gives his thoughts on the movies "The Men Who Stare at Goats", "A Christmas Carol" and "The Fourth Kind". (3:01)
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KYW's Steve Nikazy and KYW movie critic Bill Wine take a look at the Chris Rock documentary, "Good Hair," Michael Jackson's "This is It," and the action-crime-drama "The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day." (17:43)
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KYW movie critic Bill Wine gives his thoughts on the movies "Good Hair", "This Is It" and "Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day". (3:00)
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KYW's Steve Nikazy and KYW movie critic Bill Wine take a look at the animated adventure "Astro Boy," the bio-drama"Amelia," and the action-adventure-comedy "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." (17:20)
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Dazzling sea creatures of all stripes remind us that the best special effects are still generated by nature itself. 
