Movie Review: Under the Sea 3-D
Jim Carrey Narrates Warner Bros,. IMAX Ocean Documentary
Feb 13, 2009
Nature documentaries and the IMAX process are a match made in cinematic heaven. The former takes ruthless advantage of the sheer spectacle that IMAX offers to deliver sumptuous images of wildlife, while IMAX not only enjoys the highbrow connotations associated with nature docs but also doesn't have to worry about which feature film to adapt (just because a movie is marketed as a summer blockbuster doesn't mean it will automatically be a hit).
Given the plethora of other IMAX nature docs out there, you'd think that viewers would want Under the Sea 3-D like they'd want a hole in the head. But this Warner Bros.-distributed film messes with convention, with mixed, but solidly entertaining, results.
Jim Carrey Narrates Under the Sea 3-D
Despite the title, Under the Sea 3-D concentrates more on the ocean shelf near Papua, New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef near Australia. It offers the viewer a crab-eyed view of the undersea world, where countless ocean creatures scramble to find food, avoid getting eaten, and reproduce before their time is up. Not surprisingly, the documentary is sumptuously photographed, and the 3-D format immerses (sorry) the viewer in the undersea environment.
The first 1/3 of the movie deals with the predator/prey relationship, and the methods several animals use to get breakfast, lunch and dinner. If there's a complaint, it's that director Hall sometimes takes too much advantage of 3-D technology. After the fifth or 6th predator lunges at the screen, the viewer kinda gets the point.
The first cliché-buster of this film is getting rubber-faced funnyman Jim Carrey (Horton Hears a Who!) to narrate the flick. Given that actors with authoritarian voices – like James Earl Jones, David Attenborough or Morgan Freeman – are usually cast as narrator, it's a shock that Hall would choose Carrey.
Surprisingly, he takes the gig quite seriously, only occasionally using vocal inflection to try for a laugh. Unfortunately, he's mostly trying to channel Morgan Freeman which doesn't really play to Carrey's strengths. However, he does a solid job, especially when discussing how global warming is destroying the fragile coral reefs (environmental destruction is a recurring theme in many nature docs, and with very good reason). Hall shows several haunting images of dying coral littering the sea floor, while Carrey clinically discloses how and why they've become sick.
Other than this sequence, Hall keeps the mood light, stealing a few licks from Jamie Uys (Animals Are Beautiful People, The Gods Must Be Crazy) in his images, but also playing some of the animal kingdom's more unusual methods for laughs. The image of amorous male cuttlefish cross-dressing in order to get lucky is certainly memorable, and a sequence of Australian seals checking out the camera is sure to generate some "awwws."
Comedic sound effects, and a witty score from Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon, also help the atmosphere. The sight of millions of eels undulating underwater to Indian snake charmer music is another laugh honestly earned.
The Final Analysis
While some might think that using the IMAX format for yet another nature documentary is a bit much, Under the Sea 3-D justifies itself with stunning footage that's worth the price of admission all on its own. While Carrey is still a bizarre choice as narrator, it doesn't intrude too badly on this trip to a witty, fascinating (and vanishing) world.
While it's no Planet Earth, Under the Sea 3-D gets an 8/10.
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