This probably looks kick-ass on a 72'-wide screen.
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STUDIO: IMAX
MSRP: $22.99
RATED: Not rated
RUNNING TIME: 40 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES: None
The Pitch
It’s about 5% of the IMAX experience.
The Humans
Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio
The Nutshell
IMAX Hubble takes a look at the history of the Hubble Telescope from it’s launch to the recent final fix by one of the last AShuttle missions. It also takes you deep inside images that have been captured by the $1 billion dollar hunk of machinery.
The Lowdown
"So you promised, it's gonna be just like Armageddon, right?" "Sure, kid..."
No doubt that on a 72′ x 52.8′ screen, IMAX Hubble is going to look spectacular. On a flatscreen at home, however, it looks pretty good. And at only 40 minutes, this is a presentation that’s best suited to the humongous theatre experience and not so much for your living room. Because the way it’s shot simply can’t transfer the grandeur of the images captured by IMAX cameras. I got the DVD and not the Blu-ray disc and have a 42″ plasma. The images look pretty good. But considering how it’s meant to be seen, it’s really like I’m just catching a better-than average episode of Modern Marvels (excellent show by the way).
"...and...hold it right there. Incredible, bo one's ever gotten footage of Christina Hendricks' bathroom like this before..."
The narration by DiCaprio is fine, but there’s really nothing, aside from a couple of amazing explorations of Hubble images, that warrant shelling out the money for the DVD. The film splits time between detailing the shuttle missions to launch and periodically repair the telescope, and mixing that with some interstellar trips, including one into a star nursery. But I’ve seen better presentations on the Discovery Channel. There’s really not too much more to say on this disc. If you get the Blu-ray and have a kick-ass flatscreen, then maybe. But if you’ve got twentysomething bucks burning a hole in your pocket, and you have the chance, go see it in IMAX. It’s really not worth it for the DVD.
The Package
The IMAX is transferred as best as can be expected. The picture is crisp. Sound is also good in Dolby. There’s an eight-minute making-of featurette, Inside IMAX Hubble 3D.
Rating: Out of a Possible 5 Stars
