The best nature documentaries combine compelling footage with
informative narration or commentary and use the visuals to tell a story.
IMAX, the BBC and Discovery Channel spoil audiences with a steady
stream of great nature programming, so it's almost inevitable that Fascination Coral Reef 3D doesn't cut it. Compared to Planet Earth
it's amateurish; a collection of uninteresting underwater shots set to
dismal narration. The water is murky, the subjects fleeting, and the
entire affair is tedious.
Fascination Coral Reef 3D is one part of a German nature
series. This piece concerns coral reefs and the surrounding ecosystem,
which is full of fish, turtles, sharks and plant life. The documentary
provides some cursory information about reefs - but nothing about
pollution or location - and then focuses on random inhabitants. The
camera pans lazily through cloudy water until it spots a fish, then the
narrator provides some Wikipedia-grade facts. There is no overarching
theme or story, and each fish is as mundane as the next.
Beautiful footage often speaks for itself, but Fascination Coral Reef 3D
might have easily been shot by an amateur scuba diver. The framing,
composition and editing is unimpressive, and the dim waters sully the
mood. There isn't a single standout shot, and the filmmakers apparently
shot at random. It shows, because the camera never captures any marine
life cooler than a sea turtle. Somehow, this documentary makes a
vibrant marine environment feel utterly pedestrian. If you told me they
stuck a camera into an office aquarium I would probably believe you.
The generic techno background music only makes things worse.
It's unfair to compare every nature documentary to its high production value counterparts on Discovery, but Fascination Coral Reef 3D
likely won't hold your attention for forty-some odd minutes. Even if
you are only looking for a high-definition screen saver for your massive
LCD screen, look elsewhere for brighter, more impressive footage. Fascination Coral Reef 3D is far from fascinating.
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