Filmed in IMAX, Journey of Man (Cirque du Soleil) is a celebration of the human spirit that combines the unique artistry and music of Cirque du Soleil with the power of large format film. Filmed on location at various natural and historical landmarks around the world, Journey of Man follows the stages of human development from birth to maturity, with each stage introduced by a Cirque du Soleil act.
The film is a brief history of human evolution, a lesson that relies more on mystical imaginings than it does on science. Life begins in the sea, synchronized swimming beauties perform a sort of starfish ballet that is as weird as it is beautiful. Blasted from this watery world are the makings of a young boy, one who soon finds himself on strange land. An enchanted redwood forest is full of babbling elves and strange bungee-jumping acrobat wood sprites.
The boy is snatched up to the treetops and the story enters the world of “air” and “fire”. The boy grows in age, size and wisdom with each segue – life’s stages are represented by elaborately choreographed Cirque routines. Well-muscled men and lithe women are forever zipping past, over and at the giant screen audience. Again, it is difficult to describe how powerful IMAX images can be – the first time viewer will be unable to resist ducking and flinching away from these flying Canucs. Sadly, the boy becomes a man and is soon full to the brim with knowledge and book learning – his life has become lonely and dry. But life is a circle and it doesn’t take much more than a magic hat and an exploding book to return the old man to the state of blissful childhood innocence.
Story, life philosophy and characters are not really the strong points here. This big movie is structured with an eye toward the acrobatic routines – extracting clear meaning from each mini-extravaganza saps the fun of things. These are first and foremost circus performers and the thrust of all activity is to amaze.
The best in the world IMAX technology bedazzles, as always. The subject matter is not exactly a natural fit for imaging – but the film is never less than fun and sometimes spectacular. It is one of those rare entertainments that really is for the whole family – or at least everybody with a taste for friendly fantasy.