To the Arctic 3D (2012) Reviews

• Save the Polar Bears!

  TxMike2013-06-06

  This IMAX film doesn't conceal the fact that it is a plea for reducing greenhouse gases to slow down the melt of the polar ice caps. Because, if the rate of warming keeps accelerating the polar ice will disappear completely every summer, and according to the writer of the script, Polar Bears will die out. Because they cannot live anywhere else. In keeping with this theme a good portion of the 40-minute running time focuses on a mother bear and her two 7-mo-old cubs. As the filmmakers make clear in the DVD extra, it was mostly good fortune, they happened upon this family of three that were not at all spooked by their boat. In fact at times they would come up to the boat and inquire. So they were able to study and film them for quite some time. Including an episode where, after mother bear killed a seal and the three of them feasted a big hungry male, twice the size of mother bear, set his sights on her cubs. But she was able to scare him off. The film also spent some time on the migrating Caribou and a newlywed couple who were tracking them. Also a brief comment about the underwater sea life being affected by the increasing acidity of the ocean. The film was narrated by Meryl Streep. I saw it on DVD and while not as spectacular as 3D in an IMAX theater, it indeed is a very good-looking film. But rather limited in its scope.

• One of the better IMAX films.

  illusionsector2014-01-19

  Through masterful and patient cinematography and editing, the movie documents a compelling story of survival. I was very much invested and fearful for the mother and her cubs, who were under the constant threat of attack by desperately hungry adult male bears, who were unable to otherwise feed themselves due to the effects of man's environmental recklessness on their habitat. Being a native IMAX movie, the picture quality is superb - way better than, say, Planet Earth or Arctic Tale. The presentation, the aerial shots, and the way the cameras take the viewer on the bears' journey is amazing. As for music, in addition to the Paul McCartney songs, there's also some beautiful original score by Steve Wood. Particularly the delicate celestial track that was also used on the Bluray's home menu screen gave me goosebumps. It's worth noting that a very tiny segment features footage shot using a remote controlled robotic digital camcorder, which (at the obvious expense of image quality) was able to capture the kind of up-close action that would've been impossible to get using the bulky and precious IMAX camera. However, rather than blow those scenes up to fill the entire screen, the movie has the honesty to put them in a sort of small ice-themed frame in the center, as if to say: "Look folks, these are some cool bits that we had to include but we're not by any means trying to pass them as 65mm film". This is something I came to appreciate having watched Hubble 3D, a movie where the vast majority of the non-CGI parts are cheap consumer camcorder footage (Am I watching an IMAX 3D movie or a reality TV show?). Anyway, if you love having your HD screen filled edge-to-edge with gorgeous full 16:9 65/70mm IMAX shots, you absolutely need to own To the Arctic 3D on Bluray.

• Decent though Underwhelming

  pulu552012-05-04

  I'll be straight up honest I only went to watch this movie for the IMAX experience while I was visiting a museum. The images were definitely huge, though I was expecting better image quality. As far as image quality goes, I actually later enjoyed image quality of the trailer on youtube in 1080p HD more than that of the actual movie. Admittedly the giant screen does have it's impressive charm though and you can blame my disappointment on my ignorance of IMAX movies. As far as the movie goes it was pretty average though that doesn't exactly mean it was that bad. You got to see cool landscapes, and learn about the wildlife. I'm pretty sure the impression I have right now is exactly as the filmmakers intended; fascinated by the Arctic and sympathetic to the polar bears. I was disappointed at first, but in retrospect it was a decent made film, I was just expecting more than you can typically see on Animal Planet. It was also rather short. I also wish the environmental message was more subtle than it actually was. One thing I have to complement about the movie is the soundtrack. It was pretty good, in my initial disappointment I don't think I expected to be later searching for the songs online. In the end I give it a 5/10

• Photog good, plot thin and biased, message totally inaccurate and misleading

  Boilermaker_bill682012-07-12

  The flick begins by mentioning that polar bears resulted from brown bears (grizzly bears) migrating to the Arctic and adapting to that environment, a theory that comports with accepted thinking. Unfortunately, the idea that polar bears might migrate south and re-adapt to a different climate totally escapes the biased story-line developer. Never have I heard such misguided and erroneous information about anthropogenic global warming and the plight of a subspecies. That said, the photography was exceptionally good in part. While providing a glimpse into the life of polar bears, the focus on their supposed plight became tedious and boring. Minor and limited photography of other wildlife and sea creatures was of interest if you can forget the overall bias. I have to wonder how the story-line might be altered if presented from the point of view of the seal - a primary source of food for the bear as presented by the flick. I also continue to ask myself the question, "Does Ms. Streep have the slightest clue why Greenland is so named when 80% is covered in ice today?". I certainly enjoyed much of the photography, though the film dragged at times and the bias caused attention to drag.

• It may look family-friendly but be aware of its more than biased agenda

  jdkraus2012-07-08

  The last time I went to an OMNI-MAX was back in 2006 with the release of "Beavers." It has always been a treat to see a movie on such a large screen. "To The Arctic" does not let down on its sweeping shots of landscapes and emphasis of SFX and sound. Meryl Streep as the narrator is a nice break from the typical voice-overs, such as Morgan Freeman and Peter Coyote. Unfortunately, this documentary is a disappointment on two crucial parts. First is the material that is covered. The movie presents itself as exploring the Arctic Circle. It covers seals, walruses, the land, brief blips of filmmakers, and polar bears. This is all fine, but the problem is that the narrative wonders. It starts with one subject, then changes to another without giving the viewer enough information, much less time to digest it. I did not learn anything nature-wise due to this. The bigger issue is the underlying message. In documentaries like these, it is common to add personification to the animals as a means to gain some emotional attachments. What I did not anticipate was that this G-rated, family-oriented documentary has an agenda. It is not to give us a nature lesson, rather, it states that we are responsible for the destruction of the arctic and the wildlife within it. The movie goes on, claiming that the greenhouse effect is a cause for this. I half expected Al Gore to make a cameo. I don't necessarily oppose this message, but I do find it wrong to disguise it in a film that is supposed to be about nature. The fact that the filmmakers use cute polar bears that are struggling to survive as an excuse for this message is borderline appalling. "To The Arctic" has good visuals that are suitable for the OMNI-MAX, but watch out for its more than biased message.