“Yeah I
think it’s basically an ordinary animal documentary in 3d” commented one of my
fellow participants at Dream Factory in Liverpool last month. The lady in front
of us in the queue (who later turned out to be Bonnie Voland, I M Global’s head of international marketing)
turned towards us with a laugh and said “ There is nothing ordinary about THIS
documentary, I can assure you!” It took all of ten minutes of watching the
documentary to realize that she was most definitely right. This was a kind of
documentary we had never seen before and a true technical feat as far as the
filmmaking went. Do I adore it unreservedly though? Well…
The content
of Enchanted Kingdom is a little hard to describe. I strongly suspect this was
the reason the blurb in the conference program was so unspecific. Oh it was
very mysterious and very befitting of the title of Enchanted Kingdom but having
actually watched the film, I strongly suspect there was a slightly more serious
question (namely “well what DO we say it’s about then?!”) behind its creation.
The documentary takes place in Africa and is mainly aimed at the young in tone.
Idris Elba narrates as we traverse Africa, that continent so rich in landscapes
from Jungles to desserts, following various aspects of animal life in Africa…
In 3D.
And those
last two words basically form the entire hook, the USP the whole “point” of the
film. It’s in 3d. And before you snort and lose interest, let me point this out
to you; 3D technology has advanced tremendously over the last years. As a grown
woman, I was simply agog at the beauty of the images: the animals’ faces shot
out of the screen with such reality you almost felt able to touch the gorilla’s
nose or fondle the face of a lion cub. The coral reefs were particularly
striking, and I thought the volcanos gave the impression of almost being in the
very bowls of hell itself. In fact, the years and years of expertise gathered
under the roof of the BBC had brought together such a beautiful series of
images that I would dare you not to stare at them agog like a child.
But it is
one thing to take the little ones to see the film – and the children of
Liverpool were allowed in a small group into the screening and seemed to have no complaints but as an
adult… Well… I got bored. I always say that style over substance is a very
dangerous thing. And in a feature film, it is one thing to have this; at least,
being a feature, the work before you will have a minimal storyline and you will
at least have something to focus your mind on. A documentary is another matter.
It professes to teach, to tell you something you never knew before. Enchanted
Planet? It basically boils down to a series of simply gorgeous moving pictures
of Africa. And literally, no substance whatsoever.
I think
this is a rather extreme version of something I see a lot in 3D films. Possibly
because 3D itself is still a relative novelty, entire segments are dedicated
seemingly simply to showcase what the director can do with the 3D equipment.
This makes for some stunning visual results but tends to sacrifice a bit of the
content. I mean take Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron. Would the storyline have been
so gripping if the film was in 2d and had no breathtaking shots of planet earth
to fall back on? I am very, very dubious. Sandra Bullock’s character was
positively flat in places quite frankly. I know I’m meant to really sympathize
with her and all that but it somehow reached a point where we got to that epic
low angle shot of her at the end to describe what a survivor she is, I mean I
know I was meant to be excited but all I could think of was how totally OTT it
felt. Take Avatar. In 2D would it be any different than any of the hundreds of
films about the white man and the noble savage? Anyone who knows me in real
life has heard me call the film reverse Pochahontas in 3D. Take a minute to
think about it. You may not WANT to admit it but you know I’m right.
But what, I
hear you cry, of art for art’s sake and beauty existing simply for its own
sake? Why nothing at all, I never said this was a bad thing. I have nothing
against beautiful pictures existing merely for their own sake. I just found it
very hard to sit through 90 minutes of it that’s all. As far as the technology
that was used goes, along with the locations it was used in, the film truly is
groundbreaking. If you’re over the age of 8 however, it is far too long.
Bizarrely enough though, for all that ranting, I would recommend you see it. If
you like films as much as I do, you are a highly visual person and you simply
must not miss this series of beautiful images. It is truly impressive to see
what our planet is capable of, but perhaps almost as impressive to see how far
we have come with our own technological developments. 3D is here to stay no
matter what you think of it, I personally think it’s a matter of learning to
make substantial works of art with it. At the moment, we’re just staring wide-eyed at it,
marveling. I definitely wouldn’t recommend you see it all in one sitting,
however. How you’ll manage that as 3D home entertainment is not quite a day to
day item I truly do not know but… Hmm,
I’ll just be quiet and let you decide this one for yourself, shall I?
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