AFRICA: THE SERENGETI

An IMAX documentary, this film takes a look at animals of Africa's Serengeti region. Wonderfully photographed, the film also includes an excellent narration from James Earl Jones.

Video: Not quite perfect, but certainly very close to it. The picture is presented in full-frame, like all IMAX films are when they are brought to home video. The video quality is definitely more impressive than the other IMAX film I've reviewed on DVD, Everest. Images are slightly inconsistent in sharpness, but at the very least they are adequately crisp and at best they are quite good, with strong detail. Colors are marvelously accurate and natural, with no problems such as color bleeding.

The picture keeps up perfectly with fast action such as when a cheetah races after its prey, and has no problems such as shimmering(which the "Everest" dvd suffered from) or pixelation. The print used is clear and free of flaws for a presentation that's very enjoyable. The first DVD I've seen from the Slingshot company, and I'm pleased with their work.

Sound: I was even more impressed with the sound quality, not to mention the amount of languages that are available for viewers to listen to. The detail of the jungle sounds is wonderful, and the surrounds are used almost constantly to place the viewer in the middle of the environment. Every jungle sound is crystal clear, and the score is also very well-recorded. The DVD offers 8 different Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks(English, Castilian, French, German, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish). The narration by James Earl Jones is also well-recorded and crystal clear. Very enjoyable and well-done audio.

Menus: Nicely animated main menus that play the score in the background. Easily navigated and very impressive.
Extras: Trailers for other Slingshot titles and web links.
Final Thoughts: Definitely worth a look for the retail price of $24.99,
and less at most online stores.

review sourcet: www.currentfilm.com