What critics are saying - Allen Howie, Louisville Scene, January 18, 1997
At last, the IMAX film has found a subject worthy of its expansive format. "Whales," which opens today at the Louisville Science Center's IMAX Theatre, uses every inch of the 58-foot-wide screen to show Earth's largest creatures as you've never seen them before. Majestically narrated by Patrick Stewart of television's "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the film is a visual feast. Viewed on the panoramic IMAX screen, the footage taken among the rolling waves can actually induce a moment's unsteadiness, while the shots captured far below the surface are genuinely breathtaking. Remember that scene at the beginning of "Star Wars" when an enormous spaceship passes overhead? That image is actually outdone more than once in this film as whales sweep by the 400-pound IMAX camera, their enormous bulk seeming to go on forever. But size isn't the only thing that makes "Whales" so impressive. Some of its images gain their power simply because they're so startling. The huge, toothy skull of a killer whale lies leering among the seaweed at the bottom of the ocean, an ominous reminder of the danger its species poses to other whales. And the view looking straight down from atop the mast of the research ship Odyssey has to be seen to be appreciated. The enhanced sound of the IMAX Theatre is another bonus, lending the songs of the humpback whale a fierce, robust volume you'll never hear on all those nature tapes and TV specials. But as impressive as the sights and sounds are, they are equaled by the engaging way in which the film's narration brings one surprising fact after another to light. No matter how much time you spend watching the Discovery Channel you still may not know that humpbacks migrate 3,000 miles from Hawaii to Alaska each year just to feed, or how the right whale got its name. It helps that one of the movie's directors is Dr. Roger Payne, the researcher who discovered that humpback whales "sing" (but only males). His enthusiasm, and that of everyone else involved in this joint production of the National Wildlife Federation, Destination Cinema and Zephyr Productions, keep the pace brisk and the commentary truly interesting. "Whales" also includes some fun footage of elephant seals and penguins shot on Argentina's Peninsula Valdez, a bear catching its fill along the cost of Alaska, and some underwater images of a school of dolphins that are as beautiful as anything else in this enormously entertaining film.
What critics are saying - Sharon Wootton, Seattle Herald
"Whales" is the movie equivalent of a Ken Griffey grand slam, from the orca seeming to explode through the film's onscreen title to narrator Patrick Stewart reminding us at the end that to protect the whales, one must protect their environment. The IMAX film at the Pacific Science Center is a result of putting the very best on a project and turning them loose, from Roger Payne, father of American whale research, to fearless all-star cinematographer Al Giddings ("The Abyss"). "Whales" has a well-structured story line with descriptions that leave no doubt about, say, the size of the largest mammal to have lived on Earth: a heart larger than a small car, an artery large enough for a small child to crawl through. There's just the right mix and match of music to words and of unusual sights like the humpback riding the bow wave of the researcher's ship, a spot usually reserved for dolphins. The IMAX film has the usual flair for photographic dramatics even when the carmera is not focused on whales of one sort or another (blue, humpback, orca, right), whether magnificent landscape portraits or wrenching drops over a seashore cliff. From a bird's-eye view of a diver swimming with right whales off the coast of Argentina to an eye-to-eye encounter with a whale that illustrates the gulf across the species, one can only wonder who is observing whom. "Whales" is a 40-minute auditory experience beyond the musical score: sounds of breathing through blow holes, the clicking of dolphins and the mournful/joyful noises of larger whales. Then there's the visual experience: a right whale resting with its head stright down toward the sea floor with its tail pointed to the sky. . . . "Whales" is IMAX at its best.
What critics are saying - John Hartl, The Seattle Times
We've had IMAX movies about birds, beavers, gorillas and the citizens of Antarctica. But aside from cameo appearances in a couple of underwater films, . . . the worlds largest creatures have been left alone by IMAX filmmakers. There are reasons for this. "Basically it can't be done," smiled Dr. Roger Payne, one of three co-directors on "Whales," which proves that he and his associates did it. After making a list of technical difficulties in filming elusive wildlife in the cumbersome super-70mm process, Payne admitted that "we just had extraordinary luck." Indeed the finished film betrays no sign of strain. Filmed off the coasts of Argentina, California, Alaska and Hawaii, "Whales" moves gracefully from one spectacular shot to the next: whales surfacing in open water, feeding their offspring, gliding "eye to eye" with human swimmers, and trapping fish by creating an elaborate "barrier of bubbles." . . . The underwater photography, much of it done by Al Giddings, . . . is as eye-filling as the dizzying IMAX aerial view. Massive boats are captured in head-on shots that crowd the frame, while the soundtrack is flooded with whale songs and a 1986 "theme" by Yanni. . . .
What critics are saying - John Black, The Cape Codder, November 15, 1996
Moms, Dads, Teachers, nature buffs and film fans from Bourne to Provincetown. Pack the car and get ready for a road trip over the bridge. The whales are calling. "Whales" is the title of the absolutely stunning new film being shown at the Mugar Omni Science Theater at the Museum of Science in Boston. Filled with beautifully photographed, never before seen scenes of blue whales, humpback whales, right whales and orca (killer) whales, . . . the film is narrated by Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean Luc Picard of the "Star Trek Next Generation" television show, a man whose voice could make reading a grocery list sound and feel like an educational experience. Here, however, it is a perfect match to the wealth of information the filmmakers have to share. . . . "Whales" is more than cinematic eye-candy on a really big scale. Seeing it is, in fact, the best kind of educational experience; the kind where you not only learn a lot (and not know you're doing it), but one that fills you with questions to go out and find the answers to when the film is over. . . .
What critics are saying - Others
The new film "Whales," which premiered recently at the Museum of Science's IMAX-Omni screen in Boston, is powerful and majestic. . . . To anyone who has gone whale watching on charter boats (and, to the dismay of some, no whale sightings), this film guarantees you won't be disappointed. Lisa Leigh Parney, The Christian Science Monitor, November 20, 1996
"The movie itself is truly a spectacle. Stunning photography, educational content and music by the whales themselves -- and by new age guru Yanni -- combine to produce an astonishing cinematic package.
Nicole Bishop
" . . . A can't miss movie, whale watchers."
Boston Globe
". . . As Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise, "Star Trek's" Patrick Stewart has guided audiences on some amazing voyages. But they're not any more amazing than the journey he narrates in "Whales."
The Review Journal
"Whales, . . . a spectacular sight . . ."
The New York Times
"Whales, . . . filmed in IMAX . . . the engulfing technology captures the breathtaking wonder of being among whales."
Las Vegas Today
"Whales" is a colossal film that brought tears to my eyes, and delighted my senses. . . . This film makes science personal. It's a whale of a tale, don't miss it.
Barbara Brilliant, The Senior Times, December 1996
Copyright Whales, LLC 1996.