National Parks Adventure

I stumped-up full price to see this 50 minute film expecting to see a documentary on the National Parks. Some of the shots were jaw-dropping: Grand Prismatic Lake and the Grand Canyon in particular. However, these kinds of vistas were few and far between. I was treated to the sight (in 3D & IMAX) of three people sitting inside of their car having a singalong, a girl balancing on a rope and a guy climbing 30 or 40 feet up a frozen waterfall. Instead of concentrating on this group's journey, and the fun time they had mountain biking, I would have liked to have seen more of the Parks of Utah. No mention of the Blue Ridge or Natchez Parkways either. The whole film struck me as a wasted opportunity to showcase the beauty and diversity of the National Parks. 4 stars for the truly impressive shots of the parks (which are not long enough anyway).

I was disappointed. I went to the IMAX 3D theater expecting to see something immersive like Hubble or Deep Sea. Sorry - not even close. 50% or so was not even shot in 3D (are they trying to kid us?). The entire Redwood and Yellowstone scenes, all historic reenacting, and most of the "three guys on road trip" scenes are 2D only. Why? Letting apart the extremely well shot ice palace and some river shots, the best 3D footage was probably the historic 3d still photos.

Ok, there are some stunning areal shots (however naturally not well suited for 3D immersion).

Aside from the photography, the story and timeline is a mess, plus we see a crowd of young fun seekers treating nature and indigeneous sanctuaries without any respect.

If you are a 3D enthusiast watch any other IMAX short or Avatar (1/2). If you want a nature documentary, watch BBC's planet earth instead.

Lots of beautiful hi-res footage of some amazing places. Makes me want to travel to the US. However, almost ruined by the cliché soundtrack and scripted scenes of the climbers. Conrad is an awesome guy who's done some exceptional stuff but this feels like a bit of a sell out.

Considering you gotta fork over a full-price ticket to see a short- subject film, I was certainly disappointed.

The film inexplicably features three people who use the National Parks as their personal playground. Bizarrely, the film spends 10 minutes or so watching them cooking, riding in their car, tightrope walking, whatever. A true waste of time. Maybe these three people in the movie were related to the director? I have no idea.

Add to it the bizarre disservice done to who should have showed up in the movie and been the centerpiece: Native Americans. Having three white people as the centerpiece was a truly strange way to "celebrate" our National Parks.

If you have ever heard the stories Native Americans have about the lands of our country, you would be transfixed! Truly fascinating. If we had heard about how they worship the land and believe in its power, it would have made a tremendous difference. Instead, all we get is a brief reference to it by off-screen narrator Robert Redford.

A true missed opportunity, and a true disappointment.

**** (4 Out of 10 Stars)

It is a really short documentary so we can't really see much of the great number of amazing national parks in America. Yet what we see is beautiful. Some amazing shots that make one want to just get up and go on a trip. Especially the Yellowstone park. In addition the documentary is not just about parks but about a group of people who do rock climbing there. not surprising since it is called "adventure". I liked the balance as there is not too much of it so most of the time one still watches the parks and at the same time they also offer some great shots such as their mountain bike riding. Loved the beautiful ice shots at the end and adorable prairie dogs which got a few minutes footage.