This week Shout! Factory has released another pair of IMAX/Giant Screen documentaries in 4K Ultra HD/3D Blu-ray Combo packs. These are available two weeks early at Best Buy before becoming generally available. National Parks Adventure, narrated by Robert Redford, takes a look at the wide selection of National Parks that exist across the United States, and the importance of maintaining and preserving these pieces of nature. The film takes viewers on a cross country road trip with a trio of adventurers—Conrad Anker, his step-son Max Lowe, and family friend Rachel Pohl—as they check out geisers at Yellowstone, ride the rapids of the Colorado river, climb Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, head to the Glacier National Park in Montana, check out the trees of the Redwood National Forest in California, view the wildlife in the Everglades National Park, go biking on the sandstone cliffs of Bryce Canyon, and climb frozen waterfalls and explore frozen caves at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. And this is just some of the many picturesque locations visited in the film!
In addition to the trees, rocks, rivers and other natural formations, the film also takes a glipmse at some of the animals in these parks, such as prairie dogs popping out of their holes in Wyoming, the wildlife of the Florida Everglades, and bears trying to catch salmon in Alaska. The film also takes a look at the history of the National Parks Service and how it developed from a three day camping trip between poet John Muir and president Theodore Roosevelt. Over the course of the film, we also hear the backstory of the team of adventurers on this road trip, and hear them explain what they get out of their annual trips through nature.
After last year’s release of Mysteries of China did not include a 3D option, I was thrilled to see that Shout! Factory has once again gone back to releasing these IMAX/Giant Screen documentaries in 3D Blu-ray/4K UHD combo packs, so that the consumers can experience both the 3D and 4K versions of these films. Each of these formats has its own merits, and consumers get access to them both with a single purchase. The 3D Blu-ray disc also allows for 2D playback, while the 4K UHD disc allows for playback either with or without HDR, giving viewers four different viewing options! In addition, this release includes a Digital HD copy of the film.
The 3D version: The 3D adds a nice depth to the picture, and helps to show just how magestic nature really is. As the film opens, the trio of adventurers are atop the Three Penguins, and you really get a sense of the height and majestic beauty that can be seen from that vantage point. There are so many moments where this added depth really enhances the viewing experience, including the numerous scenes that look down from a height (many times I found myself worried for these explorers), or the scenes in the picturesque frozen ice caves with all the ice formations hanging down. There are also a few pop-out moments, such as when Rachel is walking on a tightrope and it feels like the rope is coming out of the TV screen, and when a prairie dog practically comes out of screen as it walks up to and sniffs the camera. There are also scenes where old-timey sepia photographs of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt come to life, and in the 3D version, the scenes within the photographs are also in 3D. Overall, I thought the 3D was really utilized quite well to enhance the overall viewing experience, and was easily my preferred viewing method for this film.
The 4K version: There are so many phenomenal, breathtaking shots in this film—whether its the cliffs, rocks, mountains, forests, lakes, or anything else, there’s really nothing in this film that isn’t absolutely beautiful. While I thought the 3D picture looked great, the 4K HDR version provides even richer and more vibrant colors, and increased detail in every texture and natural structure. From the clouds and smoke over the mountains and trees, to the scratches on rocks, bark on trees, the texture of the sandstone cliffs, and beautiful reflections in the clear water of the rivers, everything just looks richer in color and detail.
Both versions of the film contain the same fantastic Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The narration is pretty much isolated to the center channel, while the rest of the channels are utilized to envelop the viewer with the sounds of the atmosphere—the rumble of the river rapids, the crackling and thunder of a wild forest fire, and the sounds of woodpeckers in the forest and chirping of birds in the Everglades. The Atmos track also makes fantastic use of the height channel—as water from the Yellowstone geisers falls overhead, I actually felt myself start to duck! The film also features a wonderful musical score and soundtrack, including songs such as “Hold Back the River” by James Bay, “Back to Earth” by Jason Mraz, “This Land is Your Land” by little feat. Indra George & Mike Gordon, “Annie’s Song” by Scott Matthew, “Back Home” by Andy Grammer, “Wherever is Your Heart” by Brandi Carlile, “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry, “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley, and “This Land is Your Land” by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.
Both discs contain pretty much the same collection of bonus features—nearly 16 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes. The discs come packed in a standard 2-disc UHD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover, and there is an insert with instructions on how to redeem a Digital HD copy of the film.
What’s Included:
Film: (43:27)
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4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- HDR and SDR
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- 3D and 2D
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Digital HD Copy of the film.
At the time of this review, the redemption site was not yet active, but if this is like other Shout! releases, the site will provide downloadable SD (~750MB) and HD (~4GB) files.
Blu-ray:
Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 7/24/2019):
Extras:
- Bears Catching Salmon in Alaska (1:24)
Montage of behind-the-scenes and additional footage of the bears hunting for salmon, set to music. - The Most Important Camping Trip in U.S. History (1:50)
Go behind-the-scenes with director Greg MacGillivray as he recreates the important meeting between Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir. - Biking in Moab (2:55)
Behind-the-scenes look at filming the intense biking scenes on the sandstone cliffs of Utah. Includes interviews with pro mountainbike rider Eric Porter, camera assistant Matt Amick, and director Greg MacGillivray. - Climbing Penguins (3:09)
Behind-the-scenes look at filming the opening sequence with the trio climbing and celebrating atop the Three Penguins. Includes interviews with director Greg MacGillivray, associate editor/first camera assistant Rob Walker, pro climber Conrad Anker, and climber Rachel Pohl. - Filming With Greg MacGillivray (2:17)
Director Greg MacGillivray talks about the importance of our national parks. - Featurette (3:56)
Producer Shaun MacGillivray and director Greg MacGillivray talk about the premise of the film, the locations, the trio of climbers whose road trip we follow, and working with Robert Redford. Narrator Robert Redford talks about the importance of maintaining our national parks. - Pictured Rocks Michigan (4:11)
The filmmakers give a behind-the-scenes look at filming the ice climbing scenes in Michigan, and talk about how the location was a happy accident and the technological issues they faced trying to film in the extreme cold conditions. Includes interviews with director Greg MacGillivray, director of photography Brad Ohlund, producer Shaun MacGillivray, and first camera assistant Robert Walker. - Robert Redford On The Parks (1:53)
Narrator Robert Redford talks about his first experience with the national parks as a child, and how this started a lifelong love of nature. - GoUSA TV Trailer (0:32)
- National Parks Trailer (2:00)
- 4K Trailers (10:53)
A collection of trailers for other 4K IMAX films—”Flight of the Butterflies”, “Humpback Whales”, “Journey To Space”, “Rocky Mountain Express”, “The Last Reef”, “Wonders of the Arctic”, and “Dream Big: Engineering Our World”. These are only offered on the 4K UHD disc.
Final Thoughts:
National Parks Adventure is a wonderful look at just a sampling of the breathtaking sights that make up our National Parks System. Both the 3D and 4K presentations are fantastic, and coupled with an amazing Dolby Atmos soundtrack, this film provides a fully satifying visual and aural experience. The discs also contain a small but solid selection of bonus material. I am really happy that Shout! Factory is once again releasing IMAX features in these combo packs that include both the 3D and the 4K versions!
