[.ca] Search for the Great Sharks

Okay documentary, nothing spectacular though!:
I consider myself a documentary, "Discovery Channel" freak, and of the many topics and themes which interest me the most, sharks in general rank among the top 10. So my review of this DVD may be viewed as biased from the start, hence a high 4 or 5-star rating may be expected. Unfortunately, I've seen the disc and am somewhat disappointed. For one, how can you call a disc "Search For The Great Sharks" when you essentially featured just two species (the whale shark and the ever crowd-pleasing great white)? Nothing about hammerheads? Makos? Tiger sharks? Nevertheless, I give it 3 stars if only for the overall audio and video quality (expect nothing less from IMAX - I own a couple others myself). Also interesting trivia which would probably please an audience of all ages. The film, unfortunately, is only 46 mins long (how come all IMAXes are this short? grrr!), with nine chapters as follows: 1. Domain of the Shark; 2. Behavior; 3. Steel Cage; 4. Western Australia; 5. Spotted Whale Shark; 6. Great White Shark; 7. Ancient Survivors; 8. Credits; 9. "Making Of". I intend to order the Operation: Shark Attack 5-disc set soon, hopefully there'll me something more there. For shark freaks out there I'd also recommend getting a copy of the Discovery Channel Great White video (on VHS or VCD) or even the DVD of "Deep Blue Sea" with its interesting featurette(s).

Nothing special. Imax deserves something better.:
This documentary needs badly a better direction and focus. There's nothing here we have not seen in the Discovery Channel. Furthermore the pace is slow, the story bland and repetitive (how many times must we show wonder for a senior cientist?)and the resources such as Imax film are wasted. If you want to watch something spectacular, try Ray Macgillivray's The Living Seas, Imax-Alaska or Africa-The Serengeti. Buy this only if you want to complete your Imax Dvd Library.

Nice Visuals but you shouldn't ask non-actors to act.:
This DVD, (the Slingshot edition 9836), comes with 7 language tracks, english subtitles, Dolby 5.1 sound and a music and ambiance track option, plus a short 7 minute making of featurette that discusses some of the problems of making an Imax film at sea. The film was made in 1993. This is a GOOD documentary, but sadly not a GREAT documentary. Some of the underwater sequences are very good, one or two shots are muddie and appear to have a lucky we got it quality to them. Personally I would have preferred a straight documentary about the Great Sharks. This particular film trys to be a bit action adventure a bit serious documentary and it just doesn't work. While Rodney Fox and Eugenie Clark try their best, they are not actors and shouldn't have been asked to act. Some of the sequences don't work simply because you can see whats coming a mile away. The looking over the side of the boat for sharks sequence comes very much to mind. Suddenly a shark appears. Surprise! And everyone reels back in fake horror. Some sequences have obviously been staged after the event to get close ups. The seal sequence where the Imax camera twists and turns through a seaweed forest is obviously designed to make you feel sick when watching in an Imax cinema. It goes on a little too long and is one use of the Imax format I wish some film makers would get away from. Dispite these criticisms it is a quiet enjoyable film. Worth getting? I bought a copy and have enjoyed watching it a number of times, corny acting and all. Try using the music and ambience track option if the narration gets a bit much. Theres no real point to the Search except to show some rather good underwater footage. Considering the extreme difficulty of making this kind documentary I think its a fine job. With a bit of luck it might have been as good as the exceptionally excellent Whales: An Unforgetable Journey.

Get this cheaper at Target:
It is a decent shark presentation, but I've seen some of this stuff before on a National Geographic video. That guy Rodney Fox has been filmed so much that he ends up doing the same thing on several different videos. Anyway, buy this at Target for 9.99 like I did.

Entertaining:
If you're a bit younger or have children and want to find out more about the ocean -- check out Captain Jon Explores the Ocean (also available on Amazon).