Search - LOST WORLDS:LIFE IN THE BALANCE on DVD

Great Visceral Experience

Jeremy Lawrence Nelson | Berkeley, CA USA | 12/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the first 10 minutes of Lost Worlds, I was quite blown away. The visuals, including some nifty computer generated imagery, along with the outstanding sound presentation, are awe-inspiring. But by the time I finished the film, I realized the "plot" or message, so to speak, is rather fluffy and not concrete.Narrated by Harrison Ford (a devoted environmentalist), the film gets off to a compelling, mysterious start as we see a black jaguar lightly padding through the misty ruins of the ancient city of Tikal in the jungles of Guatemala. Great intro. The first thing I noticed was the great sound of this dvd. At the first peal of thunder in a storm, I was blown away by the totally encompassing surround track with deep bass and a very wide soundstage. A dolby digital 5.1 track as well as a dts track are included, and both sound very impressive. The video presentation is quite good, with good color and crisp defintion in its 1.33:1 aspect ratio (full screen). This enables the viewer to enjoy the lovely nature imagery, where the highlight is without doubt the other-worldly Tepuis.In southern Venezuela, you'll find the amazing Tepuis mountains, shrouded in cloud and mist. We get a one of a kind look at them here, and it truely is like something from another planet. We even get to see a frog that avoids danger by climbing rocks only to roll up in a ball and roll back down the rock when the danger has passed. This amazing footage of these mountains is so rare, that it alone is almost worth the price of admission. The entire feature is only 37 minutes or so.Sadly, the narrative script is bland to the extreme. Harrison Ford does a great job with what he has, but the script is so superficial it never stirs the emotions. Its like a sugar coated "nature good, cities bad" message, with no attempt made to offer suggestions for improving our relationship with the ever dwindling wild places on the planet.Oh well, never mind, this video is still worth a look for the beautiful and unique look at the stunning Tepuis mountains. A good running director commentary is included, as well as a couple of decent behind the scenes featurettes. If you're a nut for this kind of stuff, then pick it up. Otherwise a rental might be the best way to go."