A Beautiful Planet

A Beautiful Planet

Some years ago, “A Beautiful Planet” was a 49-minute documentary done by some amateur cameramen; still it is another of the good IMAX blockbusters. It’s like “Gravity” or “Avatar”, which are also examples of these large scale stories that can only be seen in movies. This time you get all this along with a NASA budget for flights to space stations.

The astronauts themselves are the film crew and actors, who take us on a tour round their working days and show what they observe from both inside and outside their offices.

The film takes its title broadly enough to let it move any direction it wants. The movie wants to discuss the birth of the planet, its current condition and where it might be going. Furthermore, through ISS as metaphorical setting, the movie emphasizes life for various astronauts such as Jennifer Lawrence’s voice-over quote: “a truly awesome example of what we can achieve when we work together.” Editorial piece may seem somewhat disorganized but finally serves its purpose to share enthusiasm about our Earth not discounting how important it is not to destroy it now.

And indeed the images that have been captured are spectacular. Instead of interviews with scientists in front of expensive cameras, Myers shows vast regions over our heads during both day and night while playing back recorded voices of spacemen below. South Korea’s light goes out right up North Korean border at one point.

During daylight satellite views earth appears naked in terms land formations showing Africa’s fast diminishing greens or an empty California desert. These satellite photographs combine seamlessly with animated journeys into Milky Way and beyond infinity suggesting that there is possible alternative habitats in Kepler-186f (another planet) 490 light-years away.

This documentary feels like one of those moments NASA would use for public relations; something similar to creating an easily understood educational material in less than an hour long video presentation. It constantly searches for your admiration as if you had just talked to an astronaut for the first time in space (like washing their hair, trying to make espresso, exercising, all of them fascinating anti-gravity feats) and listened to them describe earth.

You can also hear the producing too, as when the narration frames global warming as something that will directly affect the lemurs’ habitat (already a subject of their 2014 IMAX short, “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar”), or using New Orleans as a loaded example of a city that will flood from a rise in the sea-level.

While listening to Jennifer Lawrence’s voiceover guiding one feels calm; it’s like she is overdoing it. The usual sweet sound of her voice cannot be heard and her character is not strong. This way, it does not so much inspire awe but tells you what you need with some kind of pre-designed poster name in addition. It makes me remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s voiceover work on Myers’ previous 2010 IMAX doc titled “Hubble 3D” which had been as instructional as his exposition moments from Inception’s first half by Christopher Nolan.

For instance, there is a difference between hearing about an estimated hundred billion galaxies and seeing them while feeling like nothing more than dust anywhere among these stars. Thus, “A Beautiful Planet” offers its audience this special experience through alternating between large scale and minute point of view.

This is a blockbuster experience from the perspective of God.

Watch A Beautiful Planet For Free On Gomovies.