Customer Reviews

Solar Max

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an awe-inspiring film in the literal sense: it starts out by advising the viewer that none of the scenes of the sun are computer-generated -- they are all actual photographs -- and awesome they are. It is hard to wrap one's mind around the magnitude of these solar events. The explanations of how solar storms impact our planet, and the discussion of how earlier cultures understood and worshipped the sun are fascinating, but the killer images of the aurora borealis, Machu Picchu, and the sun itself are what make this film a must-see.

Solarmax is an amazing accomplishment in presenting extremely clear images of the sun in various wavelengths and of the northern lights IN MOTION. I never knew before this movie that the norhtern lights move about quickly. Faint fast moving light is very difficult to capture on film, and their techniqes are the result of years of work in this field.
In addition to being science that is accessable to everyday people, Solarmax tells the story of peoples relationship to the sun through visiting various archeological sites and telling the story of the people who built them. The photography and music is extremely moving.
The producer and directors comments and just as compelling and interesting as the core movie itself. Also there is a 1960's featurette included on the northern lights that is enjoyable too.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend this movie to anyone interested in astronomy, northern lights, science or archeology. I only wish I had been able to see it in the IMAX big screen theatre. As it is I've watched it at least 12 times!!!!

This digitally-mastered video is what high-definition is. The pictures are real and look so clear and crisp and the story is just plain genius. "SolarMax" looks at the Sun in a new way, using images from SoHo, a satellite made to photograph the sun. This movie is a definite 5-star because it not only gives you a close look and great information on the sun, but it also shows how cultures have used the sun in many different ways. This movie is great fun for the whole family!

Turn off all the lights in the room. Close the blinds. Put SolarMax into the DVD player. Turn up the volume as high as it will go. In an hour, you'll be scared to go outside in the daytime.

It's the most educational action-movie in the solar system.

I had the chance to see this movie back in 2001 at an IMAX screen. Boy...was it good. With amazing footage, beautiful photography, outstanding narration (both English and Spanish) and a sountrack that will be a feast for your ears, this IMAX movie is one of the best. Is fun, entertaining but above all filled with information. Directed to young adults and adult audiences, so you wont get childlish comments or explanations. Very well put together, you will enjoy it.

Bought this on the positive Amazon reviews from others, and I now agree that the raves were right on target. Some interesting facts on the sun and our relationship to the sun, as well as the expected beautiful photography. Well done.

Solar Max (IMAX Large Format) (2000) was a fine five star addition to the many space specials produced in IMAX. This one presented spectacular color images of the Suns carona, solar wind, and magnetic field (and interactions with that of the Earth) as recorded by the many special purpose solar observatory satellites. In addition, very beautiful footage recorded at several locations around the world provided some human interest from the ground level.

If you're fascinated by the cosmos, you'll enjoy viewing this detailed study of our very own star, the sun. The photography is not computer generated...these are real-life pictures. If you're interested in the year 2012, this dvd will go a long way toward explaining the solar winds, spots, etc.

I first viewed this film back when it was released into IMAX theaters back in 2001. In all honesty it was and still is my single favorite IMAX film. It was simply breathtaking watching this on an IMAX screen as I had never seen the sun in such detail before. I have always been a huge Astronomy junkie as I was introduced to the subject at a very young age by my father who was also a huge astronomy fan. He always had the cutting edge telescopes that let us view everything from the the moon to the planets and even distant galaxies and nebula. The one thing that just seemed to slip by was our own Sun. This is most likely because we didn't have the types of telescopes that allowed us to view the sun. Hence it just wasn't one of the things that we focused on and that stayed with me all the way up to the day I viewed this film. Then it all changed.

I walked out of the theater so awe struck by what I had just seen that I immediately went home and started looking into acquiring my own solar telescope. I wanted to be able to see the sun, in real time, like I had just seen it on the big IMAX screen. To make a long story short, 6 months and over 200 eBay sales later I finally ordered my own solar telescope. Its kind of ironic that the solar telescope that I wound up purchasing had the same name as this film, The double stacked Solarmax 90 from Coronado. It was VERY expensive but it was worth every penny. The first time I was able to set up my solarmax and view the sun with my own eyes, well lets just say it was one of the most memorable moments in my life. I sat there for hours literally mesmerized by the beauty. My interest in the sun has only grown over time and I now focus most of my time photographing the sun. Its just an amazing side to both photography and astronomy and I owe it all to seeing Solarmax in the theater that day. Funny how things work out sometimes.

Anyways if you haven't seen this film and have even a little bit of interest in astronomy then this film should be put on the very top of your to see list. Not only does it give you amazing images of the sun, it also gives you a very interesting historical look at the sun and the effect that it had on different cultures in the world. One of the most fascinating parts of the film is when it shows you the oldest building still standing. Its basically a building that houses a sun room and the interesting part is that for only 1 day a year the back "Sun room" is illuminated. The other 364 days of the year, the sun isn't at the proper angle for sunlight to enter this room. The IMAX camera's capture this extremely fascinating event in great detail.

The good news is that Magic Play Entertainment is currently working on the remastered 1080p Blu Ray version which was taken directly from the original 65mm film. Trust me when I say that this is the one IMAX film that you simply must see in HD.

The Bottom line - This is easily one of the best IMAX films ever produced and I recommend it as much for children as I do for adults. This film inspired me to the point where Solar Viewing is now a daily part of my life. It may just have the same effect on you.

5 Stars! Absolutely Brilliant!!

solar max is a great video,too bad more people won't watch it---they could really learn about the universe.