“Grand Canyon Adventure: a River at Risk” is the 34th film for Laguna Beach’s MacGillivray Freeman and is another entertaining and educational film about the delicate nature of the natural world.
Narrated by Robert Redford with music by Dave Matthews Band, “Grand Canyon Adventure” connects viewers with the river in a way usually reserved for the most adventurous and nimble river rafters.
Like other MacGillivray adventure films, it has moments both exhilarating and sobering as the sheer beauty and power of the Colorado River is brought home in 3-D Imax. The up-close-and-personal moments with madly churning rapids bring shivers. And the calm, quiet sections of the river beneath towering cliffs remind the audience of our small size in the grand landscape.
The film travels the 1,400-mile river through the Grand Canyon with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his daughter along with anthropologist/explorer/author Wade Davis and his daughter, guided by Havasupai Native American Shana Watahomigie. It’s both a celebration of family adventure and a lesson about how much the river has changed since Kennedy first made the trip in the 1960s.
People have been attempting to run the Colorado since 1869 when William Powell set off on an ill-fated expedition to explore the river’s entire length. So daunting was the task that two team members bailed out (quite literally) in favor of hiking out of the canyon. They were never seen again.
Today, dams along the Colorado River have reduced its power and dried the delta near the Mexico border. Before the dams, scientists say, the Colorado was muddier than the Mississippi. This film is meant to put a spotlight on the problem and a few solutions.
This film walks the fine line of what’s needed to maintain the beauty and enjoyment of the Colorado while ensuring the river’s health for the future. Anyone who intends to stay in Southern California might appreciate that effort, since about 40% of our water comes from the river.
,Sandi Cain
