Movie Reviews

Atlantis

11 Dec 1998

Atlantis uncovers a problem with the star rating system. How can this exquisite film, comprised of fly-on-the-wall scenes from the ocean world, possibly be assessed in the same way as everything else? There is no narrative, no beginning or ending, nor any need for such things. We are reminded that film is indeed a versatile medium.

Such semi-documentaries, made up of wordless imagery, were previously limited to short films - until the staggering Koyaanisqatsi (1983) sustained feature-length interest. Baraka (1992) and Microcosmos (1997) have already used this format to produce unconventional nature films.

Atlantis is as much a showcase for the visual flair of French director Luc Besson (Nikita, The Fifth Element) and the incredible cinematography of Christian Petron. Filmed over three years, everywhere from the North Pole to the Great Barrier Reef, it intrudes on an alien, sometimes eerie, but often very beautiful realm.

The images are smoothly accompanied with a score by Eric Serra, which captures the attention even when the images are in danger of becoming tedious. If this can be compared to any other type of movie, perhaps it would be a dance film: sea lions shuffle vigorously to a calypso beat, various animals mate to an erotic pop song (a needless but perhaps inescapable segment), a manta ray glides to the sublime sound of Maria Callas singing Bellini's "La Somnumbula" (the film's only non-Serra piece).

The film occasionally shifts from music to sound effects, using them to humanise the animals. Some crowd scenes are accompanied by the sounds of chattering humans.

Other animals speak for themselves. Watching the dolphins, one can understand the new-age obsession with them. They appear truly contented, living a carefree (if seemingly aimless) life. They are contrasted, in the next scene, by a terrifying school of white sharks, who swim perilously close. In these days of big-budget special effects, it is refreshing to watch a film scene and wonder how it was done.

The promotional material suggests that much of the world seen in Atlantis may soon be extinct. Like Baraka, which was often screened by nature groups, Atlantis might need to be more than simply a work of art.