The star of the upcoming latest X-Men film, Apocalypse, seems to be on the phone with us while doing here taxes or checking e-mails while being the voice of A Beautiful Planet 3D. Her lackadaisical approach to narrating the daily-goings-on aboard the International Space Station makes us wish she was up there with them, minus the air.
While seeing beautiful shots of the Earth that could only be seen in a 7-story tall 3D format you can drown out her words to see the majesty of our planet. From space you can't see any human civilization. That is, until night. The major cities light up across the globe.The only details that are a bit dark, the man-made walls of Pakistan and India. The shining light of Korea and the cast in darkness of North Korea.
As far as messages on the environment and other too many topics, the film sputters them out from Lawrence's lips as though she's reading a high school economics book. Instead of just showcasing the excellent cooperation of the astronauts from countries from around the world they try and put in too many messages, which isn't what the film should be about.
The film is about the astronauts above Earth working together and the beautiful views of the planet.
Cobbled together by director Toni Meyers is the best way to describe the film. Really you're going see the fantastic footage and the astronauts doing their jobs.
We followed a few members of the crew for a little bit, but somehow with them being in space for 6 months never got to know any of them for very long.
What the film does have is great visual moments. Seeing a tornado from space or a thunderstorm is just ... brilliant, but that's not the directors doing, it's just footage, it's not like she went into outer space or even told the crew what to do. She just got IMAX cameras up there.
Also showing at the CSS is National Parks Adventure 3D, in the same vein, a bit strange tacked on with Subaru and Expedia giving money for it and "working on cleaning up the environment," How you gonna do that Subaru?
Where, A Beautiful Planet 3D fails to capture a story we follow along a sort of family that shows us the majesty of our own country in National Parks Adventure 3D. Robert Redford cares that he's reading about our forests and canyons. You'll see amazing shots from around the country and with people in the parks, it's not about leaving them alone, it's about exploring and enjoying them.
To see either film check out the California Science Center site.
