Living in Chattanooga, it can be easy to forget that the Tennessee Aquarium is here. That’s the tourist attraction! But the release of a new IMAX film, “The Last Reef 3D: Cities Beneath the Sea,” provides a good reason for locals to visit the entertainment hub at 1 Broad Street.
“The Last Reef 3D” is an underwater journey that brings the vivid world of coral reefs to life on the Aquarium’s massive IMAX screen. To explore habitats that are more colorful and diverse than most people probably realize, co-directors Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas asked underwater cinematographer DJ Roller to develop a new camera system that would dazzle audiences with stunning images. Once armed with a one-of-a-kind macro 3D camera rig, the filmmakers headed to the biologically diverse reefs near Palau, the Bahamas, Cancun and French Polynesia.
“The Last Reef 3D” immerses viewers in these communities under the sea and reveals the behavior and relationships of its countless denizens, including spotted dolphins, reef sharks and manta rays. Lesser-known but equally fascinating reef residents, such as crocodile fish, multi-hued nudibranchs and delicate Christmas tree worms, are shown in amazing detail.
Like cities, reefs possess a bustle of sea creatures that rivals mankind’s most populated regions, and outpace tropical rainforests in their wealth and variety of life. Illustrating how these undersea cities are like our own communities, many urban locations appear in “The Last Reef 3D.”
The movie primarily focuses on the ability of coral communities to provide shelter, protection and resources while sustaining the livelihood of marine creatures. Cresswell and McNicholas suggest these “alien” worlds are as vital to our existence as the rainforests. Unfortunately, coral reefs are at risk of being the first ecosystem to be lost as a result of human activity. However, as the film illustrates with a present-day visit to the reefs at the 1946 nuclear test site near Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific, if human impacts cease, reefs can recover and re-claim their former glory.
Although some viewers will take issue with the environmental message in “The Last Reef 3D,” the underwater photography is undeniably spectacular. A scene in which the camera moves through a cloud of stingless jellyfish as rays of sunlight dance in the surrounding waters is unforgettable. As the camera closed in on a single jellyfish to provide an astonishing glimpse at its transparent body and sinuous movements, the lady sitting in front of me reached out to touch the creature. “The Last Reef 3D” is that immersive.
As for the message at the heart of the movie, Cresswell and McNicholas make a strong connection between the way we’re using our planet’s fossil fuels and the gradual disappearance of coral reefs around the world. While the narration is melodramatic in places, the co-directors reinforce their impassioned pleas for environmental reform with skillfully edited sequences that demonstrate the degree to which all living things on Earth depend on each other.
For example, Cresswell and McNicholas start the movie by alternating between footage of coral reefs and large cities. As “The Last Reef 3D” progresses, the cuts become more frequent until the two worlds collide in a haunting sequence that shows coral slowly covering the underwater remains of World War II weaponry. Cresswell and McNicholas then begin to urge better treatment of the reefs by showing statues of people submerged in dead reefs to encourage the coral to re-grow. The co-directors intend the images in the closing moments of the movie of children swimming through the colorful reefs of Palau to motivate change. For us to thrive, we must take better care of our world, and live in closer symbiosis with its many life forms.
“Avatar” contained the same message, along with lots of explosions, but “The Last Reef 3D” leaves a more lasting impression. I recommend seeing the movie both for its ideas and its ability to transport viewers to worlds unlike any they have seen.
“The Last Reef 3D” is suitable for all audiences and has a running time of 40 minutes. Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.