IMAX film by MacGillivray Freeman Films, presented by Wells Fargo, executive produced by K2 Communications; now playing at Edwards IMAX Theatre, Irvine Spectrum Center
Four years in development at a cost of $30 million, Greg MacGillivray calls his company’s latest production a “labor of love.” But though numerous tourism entities,including the California Trade and Commerce Agency’s Department of Tourism,supported the project, this is far from your typical tourist promo. Instead, it carries you on a breathtaking journey above, below and deep inside of California’s natural beauty. Sure, it has a few shots of Disneyland and a scene with the Wells Fargo stagecoach (both among the film’s sponsors), but these aren’t overbearing and, hey, for their share of $30 million, why not? With Lindsey Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way” as its theme song, this film projects you into adventures from skysurfing to surfing the perfect wave, from snowboarding to scuba diving and from exploring the innards of the redwood tree to swimming with otters. Focusing on vignettes with a handful of adventurers and filmed in more than 30 locations throughout the state, the film’s imagery draws you in, sometimes giving you vertigo. And manmade wonders like Hollywood and the Hearst Castle help to illustrate how Californians combine their own edgy culture with a vast wilderness that is also integral to the state’s identity. MacGillivray has built a reputation with his IMAX films of breathtaking images, and if there is one you shouldn’t miss, it’s this one.
