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80 million years ago
Sea Monsters: IMAX movie review
by debbie ricks    scopes@bellsouth.net
A not rated 40 min

      You don’t have to be a dinosaur lover to dive into IMAX’s newest film, Sea Monsters: a Prehistoric Adventure. Award winning director Sean Phillips (Jaws 3-D) and National Geographic take you under the prehistoric sea in a first-of-its-kind movie that deals with what existed under the water during the cretaceous period.
      80 million years ago most of the Earth was covered in water. A sea split the United States in half. The film begins in – of all places – Kansas, where a group of paleontologist have uncovered the bones of a prehistoric sea creature. Phillips cleverly weaves together a series of archeological digs from around the world into a story to explain why the bones of prehistoric sea creatures turn up in the driest places on Earth. Places like the Australian Outback, Israel, Texas and, of course, Kansas.
      Narrated by Leiv Schreiber (Jakob the Liar), you are taken on a journey with a family of Dolichorhynchops, also knows as “Dollies” as they navigate the tranquil yet treacherous prehistoric ocean in search of food. On the way they encounter a host of other sea creatures. Like the 45-foot long Tylosaurus with eyes the size of grapefruits. It swallowed its prey hole. Prey that included the Cretoxyrhina, a precursor to the shark. They also run into the Styxosaurus with its 20-foot long neck and flippers the size of an adult human; the Xiphactinus, a 6-foot fish that could swallow prey half its length, and the gentle Hesperonis, a flightless bird that swam and fed in the ocean like a penguin.
      The graphics in this movie are amazing. I can see why Phillips chose to tell the story of these “other dinosaurs” in large screen format. Phillips uses photorealistic animation to bring the sea creatures to life. This was my first time at an IMAX theater. I was awestruck by the immense size of the screen. As I was watching the film, it felt like I was underwater. This movie was also filmed in 2-D and 3-D formats. Unfortunately, the Saint Augustine theater can only show it in 2-D. However, the enormous screen makes it even more spectacular. It is worth the drive just to experience the graphics.
      Peter Gabriel, David Rhodes and Richard Evans collaborated for the movie’s original score, which is just as enchanting as the movie. And because National Geographic knows how to market a movie, there will be a companion book for adults and a children’s 3-D pop up version. There will also be a video game that will be available on Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Wii, along with other licensed products. Check local megaplexes for showings in 3-D.

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