IMAX Blue Planet (1990)

Filmed in IMAX by NASA astronauts 200 miles above planet earth, this 41-minute film introduces you to volcanoes and earthquakes, underwater lava chimneys and Amazon rain forests. The narration begins with an earth rise as viewed from the moon, and in a later shot we observe from space a thin blue line, above which is uninhabitable black space and below which is our cocoon-like layer of thin air that is our atmosphere. If there is a theme that integrates these remarkable images it is the delicate balance between earth, air, and water, and, especially poignant, the impact that humanity has had on our tiny blue planet. This film will seem outdated with the new Planet Earth series produced by the BBC in 2006 and shown on the Discovery Channel, but it's still well worth watching and would make for a great evening of family fun.