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).

Generally speaking if you enjoy films from the Banff film festival you will probably enjoy this one. Gorgeous scenery, a personal story, and a general overview of the parks.

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)

If you are interested in watching insufferable, privileged white people tooling around in a Subaru and treating the national parks like their personal hipster playground, this film is for you.

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.