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Ultimate X (IMAX)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG // February 4, 2003
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Ultimate X" stars many of the athletes that have become familiar to many who aren't even viewers thanks to the endorsements that the athletes have gotten. Those who have passed the video game aisles that the local electronics store have no doubt seen a small legion of games based upon stars like Tony Hawk, Dave Mirra and others. The X Games, to summarize, are sort of the Olympics of the "extreme" sports world. The events include BMX biking, skateboarding, street luge and other potentially dangerous events. As the film progresses, we watch the risks taken get bigger and the stunts taken get wilder as the athletes continue to push the boundaries.
Although this film could have easily been turned into a rapid-fire, "MTV"-ized look at these events, cinematographer Reed Smoot ("Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure") 's phenomenal photography, with great compositions and "how did they get that shot?" angles, brings it to another level. Any visual trickery - slow-motion or otherwise - is used appropriately, only enhancing the experience.
The film, from writer/director Bruce Hendricks, skips between events with interviews from commentators, athletes and organizers. "Ultimate X", largely thanks to Smoot and the energetic athletes, captures the glory that these participants experience when they win. However, what often fascinated me more than the events themselves were how they were captured. For the street luge sequences, there are cameras set-up along the route that perfectly captured the racers as they speed by, but I was curious how the filmmakers were able to actually get a camera on one of the racers to provide a first-person perspective of going down the hill. For those who are not familar, IMAX cameras are massive and weigh a very considerable amount.
After seeing the film in an early screening a couple of weeks before the release, I eventually went back for two additional viewings. As a documentary, this doesn't succeed tremendously well - the film isn't particularly insightful about the events (although it is amusing to see how the X Games have evolved into something very respectable from its early years, which apparently included such events as shovel racing) and some of the terminology will be familiar only to fans. However, the film's marriage of sound and visuals - Smoot's stunning visuals accompanied by the punk and rock soundtrack - perfectly communicate the adrenalin rush of the sports for those both familiar and unfamiliar with the games.
Speaking of the injuries, I found the way that they were shown interesting. The film spends about 40 minutes of its 50 minute running time showing how cool these folks are and the kind of glory that they get when they win a match when watched by a massive crowd. The last 5-10 minutes, however, really pulls the rug out from under the coolness, as it offers a doctor's perspective on how bad some of the injuries are that these players sustain. The discussion (as well as the visuals) of how badly these players can get hurt is pretty chilling ("You hang on and see how it goes. Either you walk away or go to the hospital."). It's definitely the film's "hey kids, don't try this at home - these are professionals."
Overall, I was moderately entertained by "Ultimate X". The film occasionally seems like a beautifully filmed highlight reel rather than a documentary, but I still found the discussion of the games at least somewhat interesting and the comments of the players pretty entertaining (one states, "the only degree I have is in anger management."). Although the film's 40 minute length is normal for IMAX fare, this film could have even been filled out a little further towards the hour mark.
Those who are fans of the sport will probably love this picture, while those unfamiliar will likely be impressed with the skills of the tricks accomplished and the sleek, beautifully filmed appearance of the film. Those who like some of the more popular new punk bands will also enjoy the film's soundtrack, which is cranked up to "11" in the film's audio.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Ultimate X" is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame by Touchstone Home Video, as 1.33:1 is the usual format (although there are exceptions to that rule) that IMAX films are presented in on home video. The transfer is THX-certified. As with almost all IMAX fare, "Ultimate X" certainly loses some of its visual impact in the translation between the stories-tall IMAX screen and home video. However, it's a credit to Smoot's outstanding cinematography that many of the film's shots still impress on the small screen. As for image quality, it's really quite good. The picture remains crisp and clear throughout the program, no softness or inconsistency.
There are some concerns with the image quality, though. Minimal edge enhancement is spotted on occasion, while the picture does show some slight grain in a few scenes. No print flaws, pixelation or other issues were spotted, however. The film's bright, vivid color palette was presented superbly, as colors remained well-saturated and bold, with no smearing. Black level was solid throughout, while flesh tones looked accurate and natural.
SOUND: After being stunned by the film's sound mix as presented by the local IMAX theater's absurdly powerful sound system, I would have been very displeased if a DTS option wasn't included on the DVD edition. Thankfully, the studio has included both a Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtrack. This is certainly a music-driven soundtrack, although there are a few very nicely placed sounds placed in the surrounds to occasionally extend the sports action further into the room. The music soundtrack (a mixture of punk, rock and a bit of rap) is full-impact - and I do mean full-impact - from all speakers throughout the picture (the sound designer on this film is Robert L. Sephton, who also worked on "Coyote Ugly", a film that featured the music in the sound mix in a similar fashion). This is a soundtrack that should absolutely be cranked up on any home theater system, as the sound mix is fierce and bass-heavy.
Both the Dolby Digital and DTS tracks provided an immensely entertaining experience, but the DTS soundtrack had the edge throughout, with a richer, fuller presentation of the music, as well as deeper bass.
EXTRAS: In order to fill out the DVD for the short film (although those with even a remote interest in the sports involved should certainly consider a look at the disc), Touchstone has included a set of very nice supplements - although the overdone main menus make them sort of (and that's an understatement) difficult to find. Many of these supplements can be accessed via the film itself in an "enhanced" mode, where one (or more) icons will pop up on screen, allowing the viewer to see a small featurette on the athlete featured or some additional footage relating to the current scene.
As for the difficulty in locating the supplements, it's because almost everything on the menus is listed as a logo of some sort instead of simply stating what it is. In addition, there's tons of animation, as the menus zip around the stadium to the next sub-screen. Although certainly easy to get used to, something a bit more straightforward would have been appreciated.
The first main extras menu offers four sections - Skateboarding, Motocross, BMX and Luge. Each of these sections offer additional short featurettes, including "medal moments", "profiles", "X-tra footage" and other pieces. While these pieces are feairly short, there are plenty of them included. Most of them also do a very nice job going deeper into the sport and revealing more about the different events and the thought process of the athletes. The BMX section, for example, also includes three additional features: "2001 Downhill Finals Run", "BMX Dirt Stunt" and "BMX Legends". Overall, the running time of these featurettes added up is certainly longer than the film itself.
There's still more, though: clicking on the "X" brings up more features on an additional menu. "X-Gallery Mega Mix" offers music videos from some of the bands featured in the movie: 3rd Strike, "No Light"; Schatzi, "Death of the Alphabet"; 3rd Strike, "Flow Heat"; The Full Nine, "Not Over"; Sloth, "Falling Down" and Fallen From Earth's "Save Me". "Old School" is a featurette about Ray Flores, who runs a skateboard shop in California. Flores discusses some of the history of skateboarding, while additional footage of early skaters is also included. Those who want to learn more about the early history of the sport should certainly check out the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys , which is currently out on DVD. "Hits and Misses" offers a few minutes of footage that include some stunning moments as riders pull off some stunts and miss - with cringe-inducing force - other attempts.
"Broken Bones" goes into further depth about the kind of injuries that these players can sustain, while "Girls of the Games" focuses on some of the female athletes, who are only very briefly featured in the film itself. Rounding on the extras, there's a "Register Your DVD" feature and THX Optimizer A/V tests.
Final Thoughts: "Ultimate X" is a high-energy, very entertaining IMAX picture that, while not without some flaws, is beautifully filmed and fun to watch. Touchstone's DVD offers quite a few supplements along with excellent video quality and a fantastic sound mix. Although not for all ages, "Ultimate X" is recommended, especially to those with an interest in any of the sports featured.
"Ultimate X" stars many of the athletes that have become familiar to many who aren't even viewers thanks to the endorsements that the athletes have gotten. Those who have passed the video game aisles that the local electronics store have no doubt seen a small legion of games based upon stars like Tony Hawk, Dave Mirra and others. The X Games, to summarize, are sort of the Olympics of the "extreme" sports world. The events include BMX biking, skateboarding, street luge and other potentially dangerous events. As the film progresses, we watch the risks taken get bigger and the stunts taken get wilder as the athletes continue to push the boundaries.
Although this film could have easily been turned into a rapid-fire, "MTV"-ized look at these events, cinematographer Reed Smoot ("Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure") 's phenomenal photography, with great compositions and "how did they get that shot?" angles, brings it to another level. Any visual trickery - slow-motion or otherwise - is used appropriately, only enhancing the experience.
The film, from writer/director Bruce Hendricks, skips between events with interviews from commentators, athletes and organizers. "Ultimate X", largely thanks to Smoot and the energetic athletes, captures the glory that these participants experience when they win. However, what often fascinated me more than the events themselves were how they were captured. For the street luge sequences, there are cameras set-up along the route that perfectly captured the racers as they speed by, but I was curious how the filmmakers were able to actually get a camera on one of the racers to provide a first-person perspective of going down the hill. For those who are not familar, IMAX cameras are massive and weigh a very considerable amount.
After seeing the film in an early screening a couple of weeks before the release, I eventually went back for two additional viewings. As a documentary, this doesn't succeed tremendously well - the film isn't particularly insightful about the events (although it is amusing to see how the X Games have evolved into something very respectable from its early years, which apparently included such events as shovel racing) and some of the terminology will be familiar only to fans. However, the film's marriage of sound and visuals - Smoot's stunning visuals accompanied by the punk and rock soundtrack - perfectly communicate the adrenalin rush of the sports for those both familiar and unfamiliar with the games.
Speaking of the injuries, I found the way that they were shown interesting. The film spends about 40 minutes of its 50 minute running time showing how cool these folks are and the kind of glory that they get when they win a match when watched by a massive crowd. The last 5-10 minutes, however, really pulls the rug out from under the coolness, as it offers a doctor's perspective on how bad some of the injuries are that these players sustain. The discussion (as well as the visuals) of how badly these players can get hurt is pretty chilling ("You hang on and see how it goes. Either you walk away or go to the hospital."). It's definitely the film's "hey kids, don't try this at home - these are professionals."
Overall, I was moderately entertained by "Ultimate X". The film occasionally seems like a beautifully filmed highlight reel rather than a documentary, but I still found the discussion of the games at least somewhat interesting and the comments of the players pretty entertaining (one states, "the only degree I have is in anger management."). Although the film's 40 minute length is normal for IMAX fare, this film could have even been filled out a little further towards the hour mark.
Those who are fans of the sport will probably love this picture, while those unfamiliar will likely be impressed with the skills of the tricks accomplished and the sleek, beautifully filmed appearance of the film. Those who like some of the more popular new punk bands will also enjoy the film's soundtrack, which is cranked up to "11" in the film's audio.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Ultimate X" is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame by Touchstone Home Video, as 1.33:1 is the usual format (although there are exceptions to that rule) that IMAX films are presented in on home video. The transfer is THX-certified. As with almost all IMAX fare, "Ultimate X" certainly loses some of its visual impact in the translation between the stories-tall IMAX screen and home video. However, it's a credit to Smoot's outstanding cinematography that many of the film's shots still impress on the small screen. As for image quality, it's really quite good. The picture remains crisp and clear throughout the program, no softness or inconsistency.
There are some concerns with the image quality, though. Minimal edge enhancement is spotted on occasion, while the picture does show some slight grain in a few scenes. No print flaws, pixelation or other issues were spotted, however. The film's bright, vivid color palette was presented superbly, as colors remained well-saturated and bold, with no smearing. Black level was solid throughout, while flesh tones looked accurate and natural.
SOUND: After being stunned by the film's sound mix as presented by the local IMAX theater's absurdly powerful sound system, I would have been very displeased if a DTS option wasn't included on the DVD edition. Thankfully, the studio has included both a Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtrack. This is certainly a music-driven soundtrack, although there are a few very nicely placed sounds placed in the surrounds to occasionally extend the sports action further into the room. The music soundtrack (a mixture of punk, rock and a bit of rap) is full-impact - and I do mean full-impact - from all speakers throughout the picture (the sound designer on this film is Robert L. Sephton, who also worked on "Coyote Ugly", a film that featured the music in the sound mix in a similar fashion). This is a soundtrack that should absolutely be cranked up on any home theater system, as the sound mix is fierce and bass-heavy.
Both the Dolby Digital and DTS tracks provided an immensely entertaining experience, but the DTS soundtrack had the edge throughout, with a richer, fuller presentation of the music, as well as deeper bass.
EXTRAS: In order to fill out the DVD for the short film (although those with even a remote interest in the sports involved should certainly consider a look at the disc), Touchstone has included a set of very nice supplements - although the overdone main menus make them sort of (and that's an understatement) difficult to find. Many of these supplements can be accessed via the film itself in an "enhanced" mode, where one (or more) icons will pop up on screen, allowing the viewer to see a small featurette on the athlete featured or some additional footage relating to the current scene.
As for the difficulty in locating the supplements, it's because almost everything on the menus is listed as a logo of some sort instead of simply stating what it is. In addition, there's tons of animation, as the menus zip around the stadium to the next sub-screen. Although certainly easy to get used to, something a bit more straightforward would have been appreciated.
The first main extras menu offers four sections - Skateboarding, Motocross, BMX and Luge. Each of these sections offer additional short featurettes, including "medal moments", "profiles", "X-tra footage" and other pieces. While these pieces are feairly short, there are plenty of them included. Most of them also do a very nice job going deeper into the sport and revealing more about the different events and the thought process of the athletes. The BMX section, for example, also includes three additional features: "2001 Downhill Finals Run", "BMX Dirt Stunt" and "BMX Legends". Overall, the running time of these featurettes added up is certainly longer than the film itself.
There's still more, though: clicking on the "X" brings up more features on an additional menu. "X-Gallery Mega Mix" offers music videos from some of the bands featured in the movie: 3rd Strike, "No Light"; Schatzi, "Death of the Alphabet"; 3rd Strike, "Flow Heat"; The Full Nine, "Not Over"; Sloth, "Falling Down" and Fallen From Earth's "Save Me". "Old School" is a featurette about Ray Flores, who runs a skateboard shop in California. Flores discusses some of the history of skateboarding, while additional footage of early skaters is also included. Those who want to learn more about the early history of the sport should certainly check out the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys , which is currently out on DVD. "Hits and Misses" offers a few minutes of footage that include some stunning moments as riders pull off some stunts and miss - with cringe-inducing force - other attempts.
"Broken Bones" goes into further depth about the kind of injuries that these players can sustain, while "Girls of the Games" focuses on some of the female athletes, who are only very briefly featured in the film itself. Rounding on the extras, there's a "Register Your DVD" feature and THX Optimizer A/V tests.
Final Thoughts: "Ultimate X" is a high-energy, very entertaining IMAX picture that, while not without some flaws, is beautifully filmed and fun to watch. Touchstone's DVD offers quite a few supplements along with excellent video quality and a fantastic sound mix. Although not for all ages, "Ultimate X" is recommended, especially to those with an interest in any of the sports featured.
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