SWIMMING WITH THE FISHES
“DOLPHINS AND WHALES – 3D”
Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, Narrated by Daryl Hannah
Unrated, but presumably G for all ages, 42 minutes.
PLAYING EXCLUSIVELY AT AUDUBON INSTITUTE’S IMAX THEATER

Nestled next to the Aquarium for the Americas, the IMAX Movie Theater, with its immense screen and awesome sound system, is one of the hidden treasures of downtown New Orleans.  It’s a perfect venue to showcase the latest IMAX movie, Dolphins and Whales – Tribes of the Ocean, which dives below the surface to see these magnificent mammals up close and personal.  And since this latest IMAX movie was filmed in 3-D, I’m talking really close.

In fact, the awe-inspiring photography is the best reason to see Dolphins and Whales. Watching the film, one is immediately struck with the majesty of these oceanic nomads.  Among the sights you witness in glorious wide-screen: A school of spotted dolphins at play; a female Humpback nursing her new calf; a group of male Humpbacks singing their whale song; the strange but gentle manatee feasting on kelp; an enormous fin whale swallowing an entire school of fish; the rare Beluga whale with its almost childlike features; and the “King of the Ocean”, the Orca. 

Filming was done all over the world, ranging from the Bahamian coral reefs to the exotic Kingdom of Tonga to the frozen Arctic waters, and the 3-D effect (with the water literally overhead), truly gives a viewer a “You Are There” feel. The graceful ballet of the whales and dolphins as they move through the water is sheer visual poetry; a big set of kudos to the group of talented cameramen who captured these fantastic images on film.  As they glide past the camera, it’s hard to resist the temptation to reach out and touch them even with the realization that your brain is telling you they aren’t there.  It’s that photo-realistic. 

Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided to have a narrated track and this one, read by former Splash mermaid Daryl Hannah, is far from poetic and doesn’t do justice to the images. If anything, it gives the film at times an alternately preachy and condescending tone that is highly unnecessary. 

The School of Narration 101 always dictates that it should tell us what we’re not seeing, not underscore every detail we’re already watching.  Also, time and again, when Hannah is not talking nonsense to the dolphins (“Catch it!” she tells them about a piece of loose seaweed), she’s reminding us cretinous humans in the audience that we are the cause of these wonderful animals’ population decline.   During the final montage, we get the same information underneath footage of each whale and dolphin; some, we’re told, are “at risk” while others are “close to extinction”.  Frankly, this final expository information is more appropriate, and makes the eco-friendly message have a much greater, and certainly subtler, effect on its intended audience. 

Personally, I would have had a much more satisfying experience with Whales and Dolphins had they turned up the Enya-style soundtrack and turned off Daryl Hannah. I can’t really blame her since she didn’t write the script, but I don’t know what’s more jaw dropping, the stunning imagery or the obnoxious narration.

Still, Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean should be experienced as a visual feast and for a reminder (however heavy-handed) about the beauty of these ocean wonders.