Continuing the trend of releasing the made-for-IMAX educational films on home video platforms, "Under the Sea" isn't going to impress you quite as much on the small screen as it would have (or perhaps did) on the giant screen.
Still, it's a brisk, educational, and still wondrous ride through vivid seascapes teeming with marine life that is one of a rare opportunity to teach and entertain without qualifying as the often factually dubious "infotainment."
Narrated by Jim Carrey (yes, THAT Jim Carrey, though he's, for a moment anyway, lost the annoying motormouth schtick), "Under the Sea" is quite simply a 40-minute (or so) jaunt through the ocean, looking mostly at smaller fish, whales, crustaceans, and various other species living in the water, cavorting, frolicking, and eating each other.
And that's about that, really. If you're thinking about your younger kids watching, be aware that you might have to answer mating questions, as one sequence finds male puffer fish literally blowing up their chests to impress the females, while the quicker fish sneak in and take the prize literally out from under them.
One curiosity I noticed is the sound effects that accompany the film. There are crunches, splashes, and various other noises that sound artificially inserted. I wonder why in an otherwise wholly educational film they would choose to insert silly canned sound effects. I found it really distracting and unnecessary.
DVD extras are limited to a brief making-of, but the blu ray houses 5 separate expeditions with bonus footage of the various locales highlighted in the film.
Film: 4 Yaps Extras: 3 Yaps