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The Movie
I have certain expectations when seeing a movie originally
created for IMAX theaters. I expect to see breathtaking nature
shots, sweeping panoramic aerials, dizzying bursts of speed,
unusual point of views, and most of all, I expect to learn
something from it. Unfortunately, Momentum delivers only
a few of these expectations. Don't get me wrong; Momentum
certainly has its moments. I was definitely taken by some of the
more beautiful scenic shots throughout the movie. The problem is,
there just aren't enough of them to make this radically short
movie (20 minutes long) worthwhile. I imagine this movie looked
wonderful in a big IMAX theater back in 1992, but it just doesn't
work on the small screen.
Momentum attempts to give a whirlwind tour of Canada's most
beautiful locations while taking a few pit stops along the way to
see, well, other things. And while I loved seeing the giant
Canadian ice crusher looming toward the camera, the high altitude
turns in the icy mountains, and the frigid ocean slapping against
the rocky coastline, I could have done without the talking
construction workers on top of an unfinished skyscraper, the
random pictures of people's houses, and the out-of-the-blue
eight-second shot of doctors conducting a surgery.
IMAX films should have some sense of purpose. And frankly, I
couldn't figure out what this movie was trying to convey. By the
title, I expected to see an impressive montage of objects and
people in motion amidst the beautiful backdrop of Canada. And in
the beginning, that's what you get, but the movie quickly changes
pace and begins showing clips of odd, everyday scenes that
seemingly have nothing to do with what this movie is about.
(Whatever that may be) And just when you start to think you might
be getting into the movie, it ends. Talk about a momentum
breaker. (Pun intended)
The DVD
Video: Momentum is presented in 1.33:1
full screen. The movie was originally filmed at 48
frames-per-second to create a more life-like image on the
enormous IMAX screen. Unfortunately the age of the source
material (10-years-old) lends a hand at slightly deteriorating
the picture quality. Colors are bright and accurate but the film
overall had an old-movie look to it. A slight graininess is
present throughout the film, and moderate doses of edge
enhancement can be seen in certain scenes. Momentum
looks fairly good considering its age, but I still expect more
from an IMAX movie.
Audio: Sadly, Momentum is only offered
in Dolby Digital Stereo. It's too bad, because a 5.1 audio track
would have been greatly appreciated in the ice crushing scenes at
the beginning and end of the movie. But on the bright side, the
score leaves much to be desired, so maybe not hearing it in all
six speakers isn't a bad thing.
Menus: There is only one menu screen, and it
looks as if it were designed back in 1992.
Extras: The only extra feature offered is a
"Making Momentum" featurette that shows the tactics
used in making the movie. The featurette is somewhat informative,
but did not offer enough behind-the-scenes information to satisfy
this reviewer's lust for knowledge.
Final Thoughts
Momentum is short, random, seemingly without purpose,
and not very entertaining. I often found myself waiting for the
good stuff to come along, except it never really did. I'm
guessing Momentum was meant to be an elegant artistic
expression as much as a large format exhibition movie, however it
never really committed to either, and as a result ended up
cluttered and uneventful. I love IMAX features, and am a total
sucker for beautiful landscapes and fantastic aerial shots. So
it's unfortunate that Momentum was unsuccessful at finding its
purpose in life, which like all movies, should be to entertain.
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