The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
92
Studio and Year: Warner - 2011
MPAA Rating: G
Feature running time: 41 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Directed by: David Lickley
Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh
Written by: Drew Fellman
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: April 17, 2012
"Born to be loved. Born to be free"
Film Synopsis:
Narrated by Academy-Award® winner Morgan Freeman, Born to be Wild 3D is an inspiring story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond between humans and animals. This film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise themsaving endangered species one life at a time. Stunningly captured in IMAX 3D, Born to be Wild 3D is a heartwarming adventure transporting moviegoers into the lush rainforests of Borneo with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, and across the rugged Kenyan savannah with celebrated elephant authority Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, as they and their teams rescue, rehabilitate and return these incredible animals back to the wild.
My Take:
The IMAX experience is ideal for this documentary's subject matter as remarkable high-definition footage transports viewers to exotic Kenya and Borneo, places that most of us will probably never see. IMAX Born to be wild tells the amazing stories of two women that have made it their life's mission to save and protect needy animals, specifically orphaned elephants and orangutans in the wild. The film provides portraits of both women and the uniquely established habitats they have built in furtherance of their goals. The story, narrated by Morgan Freeman, presents daily life in each and follows a pair of orangutans and a two year old baby elephant as they prepare to be introduced back into the wild after being raised/rehabilitated. Filled with interesting facts, extraordinary images, and high levels of the awwww (meaning cute) factor Born to be wild is a wonderful documentary film that stands as a testament to the devotion/work of two fascinating women, primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, and the countless success stories of the animals they have saved and continue to provide for. At around forty minutes this isnt a long documentary film but the time goes by quickly as the subject matter and visuals prove both poignant and engaging. This is a heartwarming, cute and cuddly documentary that makes for stimulating family entertainment.
Parental Guide:
This film is appropriate for all ages.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 86
Video: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
IMAX Born to be wild comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.3 Mbps.
This is a reference quality high definition presentation that boasts brilliant color, superlative depth, and an abundance of high level detail. The nature defined color palette is alluring as the deep, vivid, greens and resplendent earth toned hues leap from the 1.85:1 framed video. Contrast balance is spot on and blacks are delineated, deep, and rich. Resolution is impeccable as the vastness and scope of the recorded elements offers lucid, three dimensional acuity that is extraordinary. These beautifully captured images of our planet can be captivating as the richness of color, transparently rendered detail, and near infinite sense of depth and dimension are assuredly conveyed in high definition. I can only imagine how it must have looked on the big screen.
The lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack delivers the elements contained within this documentary film with aplomb. Morgan Freeman's running narration is clearly rendered with crisp articulation and smooth intonation. I felt that the dialogue could have been a bit more forward within the front soundstage but otherwise presented very well. The front three channels are integration nicely and combine high level detail/clarity with pinpoint imaging. Mark Motherbaugh's music score has appreciable top end air and smoothly rendered instrumentation as its primary elements are delivered through the front speakers with enveloping rear channel ambience used to broaden the soundstage. The surrounds are effectively used to reproduce the various sounds of the forest, near field panning effects and low level atmospherics. This isn't an aggressive surround mix but this audio presentation mates perfectly with the source and sounds great.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
IMAX Born to be wild is a wonderful documentary film that stands as a testament to the devotion/work of two fascinating women, primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, and the countless success stories of the animals they have saved and continue to provide for. As you might expect it looks stunning on Blu-ray and features excellent lossless sound quality and a rather bland supplemental offering that consists of a series of behind the scenes/on location webisodes. Be that as it may, this is a rewarding documentary film that contains poignant subject matter and superlative imagery that is perfect for genre fans or family entertainment.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100 16x9 Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
92
Studio and Year: Warner - 2011
MPAA Rating: G
Feature running time: 41 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Directed by: David Lickley
Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh
Written by: Drew Fellman
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: April 17, 2012
"Born to be loved. Born to be free"
Film Synopsis:
Narrated by Academy-Award® winner Morgan Freeman, Born to be Wild 3D is an inspiring story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond between humans and animals. This film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise themsaving endangered species one life at a time. Stunningly captured in IMAX 3D, Born to be Wild 3D is a heartwarming adventure transporting moviegoers into the lush rainforests of Borneo with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, and across the rugged Kenyan savannah with celebrated elephant authority Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, as they and their teams rescue, rehabilitate and return these incredible animals back to the wild.
My Take:
The IMAX experience is ideal for this documentary's subject matter as remarkable high-definition footage transports viewers to exotic Kenya and Borneo, places that most of us will probably never see. IMAX Born to be wild tells the amazing stories of two women that have made it their life's mission to save and protect needy animals, specifically orphaned elephants and orangutans in the wild. The film provides portraits of both women and the uniquely established habitats they have built in furtherance of their goals. The story, narrated by Morgan Freeman, presents daily life in each and follows a pair of orangutans and a two year old baby elephant as they prepare to be introduced back into the wild after being raised/rehabilitated. Filled with interesting facts, extraordinary images, and high levels of the awwww (meaning cute) factor Born to be wild is a wonderful documentary film that stands as a testament to the devotion/work of two fascinating women, primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, and the countless success stories of the animals they have saved and continue to provide for. At around forty minutes this isnt a long documentary film but the time goes by quickly as the subject matter and visuals prove both poignant and engaging. This is a heartwarming, cute and cuddly documentary that makes for stimulating family entertainment.
Parental Guide:
This film is appropriate for all ages.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 86
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
IMAX Born to be wild comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.3 Mbps.
This is a reference quality high definition presentation that boasts brilliant color, superlative depth, and an abundance of high level detail. The nature defined color palette is alluring as the deep, vivid, greens and resplendent earth toned hues leap from the 1.85:1 framed video. Contrast balance is spot on and blacks are delineated, deep, and rich. Resolution is impeccable as the vastness and scope of the recorded elements offers lucid, three dimensional acuity that is extraordinary. These beautifully captured images of our planet can be captivating as the richness of color, transparently rendered detail, and near infinite sense of depth and dimension are assuredly conveyed in high definition. I can only imagine how it must have looked on the big screen.
The lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack delivers the elements contained within this documentary film with aplomb. Morgan Freeman's running narration is clearly rendered with crisp articulation and smooth intonation. I felt that the dialogue could have been a bit more forward within the front soundstage but otherwise presented very well. The front three channels are integration nicely and combine high level detail/clarity with pinpoint imaging. Mark Motherbaugh's music score has appreciable top end air and smoothly rendered instrumentation as its primary elements are delivered through the front speakers with enveloping rear channel ambience used to broaden the soundstage. The surrounds are effectively used to reproduce the various sounds of the forest, near field panning effects and low level atmospherics. This isn't an aggressive surround mix but this audio presentation mates perfectly with the source and sounds great.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Webisodes (6 segments)
- Borneo
- Kenya
- Camp Leakey
- Coming home to Tsavo
- Wild filmmaking
- Caregivers
- Bonus DVD
- Ultraviolet Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
IMAX Born to be wild is a wonderful documentary film that stands as a testament to the devotion/work of two fascinating women, primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, and the countless success stories of the animals they have saved and continue to provide for. As you might expect it looks stunning on Blu-ray and features excellent lossless sound quality and a rather bland supplemental offering that consists of a series of behind the scenes/on location webisodes. Be that as it may, this is a rewarding documentary film that contains poignant subject matter and superlative imagery that is perfect for genre fans or family entertainment.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100 16x9 Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package