Mummies Secrets Of The Pharaohs (2007)

"Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs" is an IMAX documentary from 2007, so this one has its 10th anniversary this year. For director Melton and writer Cecil, it is probably among the most known efforts from their career. At under 40 minutes (and that includes credits already), it is definitely one of the shortest IMAX works. But in this case, it is a good thing because I somehow did not feel this one at all. From a scientific perspective, it seemed almost pointless to me and this is also shown by the presence of the Simon Cowell of Egyptian archaeology Zahi Hawass. But he is by far not the biggest problem here. It's a combination of several actually. Narrator Christopher Lee that I otherwise like seems monotonous and lackluster. The reenactments were not convincing either, neither thematically nor visually. Of course, we don't have video or audio footage from the days of the pharaohs, but I still expect something better than displayed in here. As a whole, this one is not for the distinguished mind and it is certainly among my least favorite IMAX documentaries. And this means something as I have seen more than just a few. Thumbs down. Don't watch.

This was my first experience with IMAX, as well as with 3D. I'm a few years late, i know.So, having the experience was the only reason why i went to see this. I was, and still am amazed at the possibilities of the medium. I couldn't know what to expect, though i thought about it several times. What fascinated me was not how "real" the experience is, but how "beyond real" it may become. Cinema lives on enhancing common sensations to degrees in which we react. In cinema, colours bust be highlighted, contrasts as well, well, even drama and narrative dynamics (like in theater). The 3D, associated with the super screen opens new windows to those possibilities, it's a technical possibility that creates a whole vast area of dark places for clever filmmakers to explore. How exciting is that? As a first experience, i recorded to aspects, which i think may be of great interest. One is the power of a landscape, not because it is enlarged, not because it is "real", but because the right image, edited in the right sequence, can be of a higher impact. Imagine the explosions in Antonioni's Zabriskie Point, with all those points of view, enhanced to the point that they blow your head. I hope the market and film industry will turn to IMAX with enough strenght to make it usable for our "authors" to think specifically for it, to explore the depths of the medium, instead of the superficial effects i imagine have been used so far.The other aspect is how this medium might revolutionize the relations between space and cinema. How we might rephrase the way we make a film become "spatial" through the way we move around space. I mean, even in a documentary with such mundane footage as this one i watched i felt the power of moving around. Of course here we have the depiction of Egyptian architecture, which lives on mystery, on moving around, and that is highly cinematic. And the film was also thought to produce certain effects associated to its format. But i kept thinking about the possibilities. What would the best filmmakers do with this? Can you imagine what would Orson Welles have done, if he ever had the possibility to shoot for IMAX? Or Hitchcock, or de Palma, who actually is around and still working, who knows.The documentary in itself, is leveled after the History channel model, with off voices telling facts, footage of the remains of the old civilization, and stagings of old happenings. Mundane, except for the effects thought specially to work on the medium, which were new to me, but which i suspect will be vulgar, as soon as i repeat the experience enough times, with other films.My opinion: 2/5 http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com

This is a very enjoyable film and an experience which kids, in particular, will find captivating. It successfully gets across the sheer magnificence and sophistication of Ancient Egyptian society; the level of detail is extraordinary and the historical accuracy spot on - a feat which many films sadly fail to achieve. This is thoroughly worth watching, both intellectually and aesthetically. With the upswing of interest in all things Egyptian at the moment, the timing could not be more perfect. If you can get hold of the DVD, The Making of the Mummies, so much the better because it highlights what a feat it was to create this movie, with hundreds and hundreds of extras involved, incredibly harsh weather conditions in the desert and extremely complicated sets to create.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs is probably one of the best IMAX movies I've ever seen. The entire film portrays the beauty of Egypt with High definition like Excellence. The story line was excellent and the scientific nature of the film was a nice added touch. I would like to say the producers and Director of the film did a phenomenal job. The movie itself is centered around Ramses the great. They go back into Egypt's historical past to show you how they lived and prospered. It also goes into great detail on how scientist are trying the find where the DNA lies within a mummies body to track more history from the past.All in all, it was a magnificent film! I know a lot of people wont see an IMAX Film if they are not in the 3D, but Some people seriously just need to bypass the vagueness and hop on board and watch this flick! You definitely will not be disappointed!