★★★★
There’s nothing quite so humbling as seeing Earth, the vessel that casually sustains all of life, reduced to a mesmerising mish mash of blue and green. In collaboration with NASA, IMAX have produced the documentary A Beautiful Planet, a breathtaking exploration of our collective home that zooms right out on Earth, turning our planet into a speck rather than a sphere.
Sure, as far as date night movies go, this may not be the most provocative of choices, but if you and your potential lover are eager to learn from some of the most boss humans on and off Earth, this experience will definitely be right up your galaxy.
Shot entirely by astronauts as they served their terms on the International Space Station, the film is bolstered in facts and produced by experts. There are no scripts, or plot twists, or shots of Sandra Bullock floating off into space. We are taken through the moments and experiences of sincere and impassioned professionals, men and women whose every waking moment is dedicated to studying our phenomenal planet.
What is shown through their footage is 47 minutes of incredible beauty, truth and information. Earth’s enthralling ecosystems are laid open like a complex, immeasurable and eclectic book.
The immense red dominance of the Australian outback reminds us why we’ve hugged the outer rims for so long, while the enduring Andes mountain range and the lushness of the Amazon rainforest evoke an existential wonder. That said, it is the Aurora Borealis that proves particularly mesmerising, and shots of the immense systems of light are enough to make your hardened tough cousin Joe tear up.
Aside from the film’s beauty, A Beautiful Planet also serves as a desperately needed reminder for conservation. The rate of deforestation and decay is clearly shown from space, and there is a strong message of environmental protection threaded throughout the film. Scenes of melting ice, pollution enveloping whole cities and deforestation devastating islands are all there for the naked eye to see.
Yes, this film has a ‘message’, but it never lectures or shoves its theme down its audience’s throat. Rather, it displays the evidence without comment, making a simple, open-and-shut case with the help of some stunning cinematography work. The Earth is fragile. The need for sustainability is pressing. Let’s not screw this one up.
A Beautiful Planet is in cinemas now
