Have always been fascinated by documentaries, whether nature, cultural, film, music, and certainly have never minded 3D/IMAX/CGI as long as it is used well. Have seen a lot of IMAX documentary short films and seeing one about Arabia immediately grabbed my attention. It is a fascinating place historically, culturally and nature wise and whenever featured or covered in documentaries (which is not enough in my view) the amount of educational and interest value never stops.
Did think that 2011's 'Arabia' could have been a lot better. There is a good deal to like, it mostly looks stunning and this reviewer certainly learned a lot. It did however suffer from pacing issues and too much unnecessary content and elements, also agree regarding the component that has been the most panned here. It is not one of the worst documentaries seen, whether short films or series, but it is one of the missed opportunities considering the subject and Arabia deserved better.
'Arabia' does have a number of good things. On the most parts, it looks stunning. The scenery is nothing short of breath-taking and is shot with a lot of vibrancy and atmosphere. The music at least fits and didn't come over as too loud, overwrought or over-used.
There is a lot of information packed in about nature, Arabian culture and the mysteries of the place, and it was all very educational. Did learn a lot here in a way never felt previously. The way it's presented is mostly thought provokingly done. There are some beautiful sequences, with the start being absolutely captivating as well as the camel sequence.
For all those good things, there is a lot too that hurts 'Arabia'. Absolutely agree about the effects being horrible and some of the sloppiest and most amateurish seen in any documentary. They are also 20 years out of date looking, feature too much and didn't feel necessary. Would have liked more depth to the content, such as everything with the ruins which was presented in a very vanilla way, and less sequences that felt too acted out and insincere (which went on for too long as well).
Pacing is erratic, sometimes dull from some scenes going on for too long and rushed from trying to cram in too much and not giving enough time to the more historical information.
Overall, watchable and interesting enough but disappointing and inconsistent. 5/10.
Did think that 2011's 'Arabia' could have been a lot better. There is a good deal to like, it mostly looks stunning and this reviewer certainly learned a lot. It did however suffer from pacing issues and too much unnecessary content and elements, also agree regarding the component that has been the most panned here. It is not one of the worst documentaries seen, whether short films or series, but it is one of the missed opportunities considering the subject and Arabia deserved better.
'Arabia' does have a number of good things. On the most parts, it looks stunning. The scenery is nothing short of breath-taking and is shot with a lot of vibrancy and atmosphere. The music at least fits and didn't come over as too loud, overwrought or over-used.
There is a lot of information packed in about nature, Arabian culture and the mysteries of the place, and it was all very educational. Did learn a lot here in a way never felt previously. The way it's presented is mostly thought provokingly done. There are some beautiful sequences, with the start being absolutely captivating as well as the camel sequence.
For all those good things, there is a lot too that hurts 'Arabia'. Absolutely agree about the effects being horrible and some of the sloppiest and most amateurish seen in any documentary. They are also 20 years out of date looking, feature too much and didn't feel necessary. Would have liked more depth to the content, such as everything with the ruins which was presented in a very vanilla way, and less sequences that felt too acted out and insincere (which went on for too long as well).
Pacing is erratic, sometimes dull from some scenes going on for too long and rushed from trying to cram in too much and not giving enough time to the more historical information.
Overall, watchable and interesting enough but disappointing and inconsistent. 5/10.