Philosopher Alan Watts said, “You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.” Director Terrence Malick certainly seems to draw inspiration from this idea in his documentary, Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience. Beginning as a visual letter to a young girl in present day, Mr. Malick’s film attempts no small feat: In 45 minutes, he, along with and narrator Brad Pitt, takes us on a rich journey from the beginning of our universe to its theorized end (and possible rebirth) while exploring our infinitesimal yet meaningful place within it.
If you have seen Mr. Malik’s film Tree of Life, then you won’t be surprised by the expansive and exquisite imagery that he both captures and creates in tandem with his cinematographer and visual effects team. A triumph of science and technology, the line between reality and visual effects is often intentionally blurred, taking documentary images of the forests and deserts of Chile and the redwoods of California–landscapes that look much the same today as they did millions of years ago–and using them as “background plates” for computer graphic animations of extinct creatures.
Of particular note are the underwater sequences, rich with aquatic life, that seem too perfectly orchestrated and populated to be actual footage. Knowing that a full load of 65mm IMAX film only allows for three minutes of shooting leaves audiences holding our collective breath wondering, “Could this possibly be real?”
The passage of time is likewise impressive, often using strong sound cues to signal the impending transition to a new stage of life on Earth. A natural flow extends within and beyond the frame; the viewer is indeed on a journey.
Eschewing the typical voiceover of a knowing science commentator, Malick uses a more nuanced and sparse narration. It is existential in nature, touching on simple and ephemeral themes of love and wonder. But we wonder if the awe-inspiring scene of the first cells dividing in water would have been even more effective if there had been a more informative voiceover and a less overwhelming score, especially as the film is targeted at all ages. Many young viewers may lack the scientific knowledge to understand the images they are seeing.
No scientific theories or universal mysteries that science has yet to solve, including dark matter and quantum gravity, are touched upon either (something that could inspire a young child’s mind to future scientific work). Mr. Pitt’s narration does, however, highlight the binary nature of “why is there something instead of nothing”: life and death, dark and light, mother and child.
Mr. Malik’s film is a meditation on the immortal beauty which connects us to the history of the universe and therefore time itself. Human existence, our evolution from a once boiling sea created by a singular explosion of energy almost 14 billion years ago, as well as life’s inevitable end, is something all human beings should explore. Voyage of Time is a worthy vehicle for such a trip.
(Please note: There is a 90-minute version of Mr. Malik’s film entitled, Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey, narrated by Cate Blanchett, which has simultaneously been released but which the writers here have not seen.)
