As an 80’s kid with a father that loved documentaries, I literally grew up with David Attenborough’s distinctive voice always playing in the lounge room, describing the various mating habits present in the animal kingdom. As a 10 year old, I naturally giggled, watching cheetahs mating, but as I grew up and matured (slightly), I learnt to appreciate the immense passion and knowledge Attenborough had developed for nature and natural history.
In his latest documentary, Museum Alive 3D, he takes a slightly different route, and instead of looking at animal behaviour in the wild, he takes us on a tour of one of the most important museums in the world, the Natural History Museum. After the museum has closed, and all the visitors have left, Attenborough explores the exhibits, visiting the various skeletons of extinct animals that are on display.
Through the clever use of CGI, the skeletons come to life, and we, as the viewers are taught about the lifestyle and behaviour of these animals. We learn about various extinct birds, Gigantopithecus who is an extinct predecessor to the ape and we meet Dippy, who is a replica of a Diplodocus skeleton. Together, they interact through the night in the museum and we get an insight into how these animals lived.
Whilst I am not normally a fan of 3D movies, in this instance the 3D special effects provided an added grandeur to the production. We were able to feel ourselves walking through the old corridors of the museum and were often jumping back in our seats as a creature would appear to attack us through the screen!
Museum Alive 3D is great viewing for adults and children alike, and it is heartening to see that the great Sir David is remaining relevant for future generations. He certainly sparked my appreciation for nature, and I hope he will continue to do that for the children growing up today.
– Moni
Moni is engaged to a guy who watches a ridiculous amount of movies. As a result she also spends a lot of her time watching movies. Follow her @_MoniMonsta_.
Museum Alive 3D screens from 2 January 2017 at the IMAX cinemas in Carlton. Buy tickets now.
The venue is accessible.
