Atlantis

documentary, fish, luc besson, silent, underwater

we bought this because we on a bit of a Besson kick, but it was a sad disappointment - I'd much rather watch The Blue Planet ...

Amazon editorial review Luc Besson's Atlantis is a fitting companion to his globally popular feature The Big Blue, and presents a mesmerising, non-verbal experience of undersea wonders. Described by one critic as "a thinking person's Fantasia", this 75-minute documentary glorifies ocean wildlife with a refreshing absence (apart from a pretentious spoken prologue) of narrative interference. It belongs on your shelf next to Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi. In fruitful collaboration with composer Eric Serra and cinematographer Christian Petron, Besson travelled the world to capture the grace and beauty of such amazing creatures as Floridian manatees, Bahamian dolphins, Australian great white sharks, sea snakes in the Seychelles, and many others. Divided into thematic "movements" like Disney's animated classic (including a stunning sequence of manta rays set to a Maria Callas performance of La Sonnambula), this glorious film has been visually overshadowed by the spectacular BBC series The Blue Planet, but it serves a different purpose: it's not so much a documentary as a meditative journey, perfect for all-ages viewing. --Jeff Shannon