I’ve seen a few IMAX films in my day and all of them were pretty breath taking. Arabia 3D is no different. Combining a bit of CGI and a beautiful traverse through the Arabian landscapes; from the harsh deserts to the wonders of the lost city of Madain Saleh to even the beautiful coral reefs of the Red Sea, what you get is nothing short of jaw dropping awe. As you can expect from an IMAX film colors are present in the extreme, detail acutely displayed, and almost every shot rich with opportunity. The film is narrated (somewhat) by Academy Award Winner Helen Mirren.

QUALITY:
There is only a slight amount of grain in the picture that will probably go unnoticed by anyone not looking for it, but other then that I was pleased with the 2D picture quality of Arabia. Like any IMAX film they find some beautiful locations that feature some of the most colorful plants and animals in the world. Clarity and detail only make them pop, even the 2D version looks a bit 3D the way the colors pop right off your screen. Really beautiful. Detail, clarity, and location offer up some of the most amazing scenes I’ve ever seen. In one scene they are at a place of worship where the crowd sort of surges in one direction. The only way to truly capture this effect is for the camera to get an aerial shot of the proceedings. The surging crowd looks like some kind of beautiful work of art.

The 3D presentation was okay. I’m still skeptical on the whole 3D fad going on but the opening sequence and end sequence were pretty decent. The rest of the 3D presentation seemed to drag a bit of what made the 2D version so great. Clarity is a bit muddled and color seemed just the smallest bit muted compared to its 2D counterpart. Other then that you get a good sense of depth in the sandy desert sequences and inner city aerial shots, but if your like me and you expect to see images popping right off the screen into your living room, well, don’t hold your breath. Audio is excellent. Plain and simple.

BONUS FEATURES:
~Making Of: While the film does enlighten its viewers as to its purpose via the film maker’s narration during the presentation this is an even deeper look at the films purpose, process, and everything else. A nice lengthy 24+ minute presentation.
~MFF History: A quick look at the history of MacGillivray Freeman films.
~Trailers
~BD-Live functionality