Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Ocean Wonderland" is a 40-minute short documentary from 2013, so next year this one will have its 15th anniversary. The director is Jean-Jacques Mantello and this is actually his first of quite a few documentaries that apparently focus on life deep under the sea. And for the two writers Chocron and Spalding, it is certainly among their most known works. So it is a French production, but nonetheless in the English language. The name IMAX certainly provided it with more reputation and popularity than it would have received with this attribute, but it is still among the lesser known IMAX films for sure. The quantity of votes here on IMDb describes it pretty much. The contents aren't bad, but they aren't great either. In terms of the information provided, this one tells nothing really new at all, not even for 2003 standards. But the video recordings are still somewhat beautiful and I guess children especially can enjoy this one a lot as it's easier for them than for adults to ignore the slight emptiness and lack of depth. No pun intended. The environmental message at the very end may be honorable, but it also felt a bit rushed in. Overall, it's no shame if you miss out on this one, but if you like the subject of underwater documentaries, then it's also worth checking out. I give it a cautious thumbs-up. Worth seeing.