What: Journey to the South Pacific
Where: Imax Victoria, Royal B.C. Museum
When: Special screenings/presentation with appearance by Greg MacGillivray tonight at 7:45 p.m.; and Friday, 9:30 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. Officially opens Friday.
Info, reservations: imaxvictoria.com, 250-480-4887
Rating: Four stars
Thanks, Imax, we needed that.
As we begin to defrost after that unwelcome blast of cold air chilled the capital region, Imax Victoria’s balmy new release arrives not a moment too soon.
While the title of Journey to the South Pacific, co-directed by Oscar-nominated Imax veteran Greg MacGillivray and writer-editor Stephen Judson, suggests we’re about to watch a South Pacific travelogue or a documentary on the Broadway musical of the same name, it is neither. This, as it turns out, is a very good thing.
A feast for both the eyes and the brain, this 40-minute odyssey narrated by Cate Blanchett is at once a plea for ocean conservation and a celebration of human tenacity. The filmmakers’ secret weapon is Jawi, a 13-year-old islander with a winning smile.
He becomes our tour guide for the remote islands of West Papua, Indonesia, as he cruises the archipelago on the Kalabia, a fishing trawler-turned-floating-classroom that young islanders hop aboard to learn about the sensitive marine ecosystem.
The beauty of this aquatic paradise where the Indian and Pacific oceans mingle is established with spectacular aerial shots. Through Jawi’s goggles while snorkelling, we’re afforded a closer look at the area’s undersea environment and fascinating denizens. Complementing director of photography Brad Ohlund’s breathtaking visuals above sea level, stunning underwater imagery by Howard Hall and his collaborators provide up-close-and-personal encounters with some of the 2,000 species of marine life that inhabit these crystal-clear waters.
The tropical marine life includes undulating manta rays, camouflaged tiny seahorses, schools of anchovies, and a 13-metre-long spotted whale shark that Jawi swims alongside and bravely feeds. There is also a massive Pacific leatherback turtle that swam thousands of kilometres from Oregon to the beach where she was spawned to lay her eggs.
That the film’s pint-sized charmer also happens to be a good singer and terrific ukulele player adds an atmospheric touch, with Jawi joining a chorus of villagers in folk songs that nicely complement Steve Wood’s guitar-based score. Sea creatures at times appear to be singing along, turning the sequence into a number from The Little Mermaid.
Tucked somewhat jarringly within Jawi’s escapades are reminders about such grownup concerns as rising sea levels, overfishing and gradual decay of the sea-life-sustaining coral reefs.
Parents needn’t worry, however. Even when cute baby turtles who are routinely eyed by predators successfully scamper across the sand to the sea, the filmmakers accentuate the positive.