Directed by Greg MacGillivray, National Parks Adventure pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of U.S. National parks. Narrated by Robert Redford this Imax documentary is filled with stunning visuals and is also very informative. The documentary follows mountain climber Conrad Anker, his stepson Max Lowe, and their friend Rachel Pohl along their national park adventure. The first thing jumped out to me about the documentary was the camera work. Shot in breathtaking 35mm and 70mm Imax film the camera work does an amazing job of capturing the massive landscape of each national park. This gives you an unbelievable perspective, and definitely makes you feel as if you’re in each park. The documentary also does an awesome job of capturing the elite skill of Conrad Anker as a mountaineer and athlete. After watching Anker and his group conquer each park I felt compelled to go outside and explore, which in my opinion is one the best qualities of this documentary.
Additionally the documentary also goes into detail about the pioneers of the National Parks Service, Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir. Going into detail about the pair’s famous Yellowstone National Park camping trip in 1903, and how a distressed Roosevelt found peace in nature. This theme is coordinated wonderfully with soundtrack. With songs such as “This Land Is Your Land”, and many others, there is a great flow between the soundtrack and the camera work.
Overall I was a huge fan of National Parks Adventure. Director Greg MacGillivary deserves a lot of credit for this outdoor masterpiece. At just forty-five minutes it’s a very easy film to watch and certainly will leave you feeling inspired.
