For those who have never taken diving lessons but always wanted to, “Under the Sea 3D,” the latest underwater adventure from IMAX, could be the closest to a real underwater experience. To those who have experienced sea life first hand, it could be a decent reminder, while to anyone else, it could feel like a revelation of a completely new world.  

The Warner Bros. release narrated enthusiastically by actor Jim Carrey, who kept his flamboyance to a minimum, the “Under the Sea 3D” documentary will feel like a deep-sea diving without risking decompression sickness, complete with the amazing sights and overwhelming feeling of various fish swimming way too close to you while countless black-and-white-striped catfish cascade over each other as they feed on silt, undulating toward you in delicate waves.

Longtime documentary filmmaker Howard Hall took his cameras to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Triangle, which spans the waters surrounding Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and other nations, to capture footage of a wild array of sea life. His intention was to entertain with wondrous visuals as well as convey a message about the impact global warming is having on these exotic creatures.

“We hope people will come to know and love these animals when they experience their world through the extraordinary image quality of IMAX. Most people will not have heard of these creatures. But once people get to know them and then learn that global warming and ocean acidification may be damaging their environment, we think they'll start to care. Making people care is our mission.” Hall said.

Without a doubt, “Under the Sea 3D” is a film that will touch moviegoers of all ages with its captivating ocean footage and unique sea creatures that the audience truly swims with during the IMAX experience.

Filmed by the same team that shot the IMAX favorites “Deep Sea” and “Into the Deep,” the documentary opts to showcase a few species rather than follow one animal from birth to death. It also addresses its very young audiences, emphasizing freaky-looking fish, poisonous creatures and the great white shark, while Carrey gently shares the consequences of climate change and ocean acidification.

The documentary is also a new way of promoting South Australia, and showing its natural beauty and the extraordinary sea creatures that are actually so accessible off the Australian coast and so easy to see.

The movie’s 2006 predecessor, “Deep Sea 3D” (also released by Warner Bros.), is the second highest-grossing IMAX 3-D movie to date. From the relatively familiar sea lions, sharks, turtles to the more exotic giant cuttlefish, frogfish, crown jellyfish, the ocean remains an inexhaustibly mesmerizing subject, and “Under the Sea” is that rare movie that leaves viewers wanting more.