Alaska, Spirit of the Wild (IMAX) at Museum of Science Boston

Liv and I were motivated by all the snow on the ground to go and see "Alaska: Spirit of the Wild," a gorgeous IMAX film showing at the Museum of Science Boston. We are long-time members of the Museum of Science, and have seen pretty much every IMAX movie there, but had not had the chance to see this one. What a wild, wooly, and wonderful film this was, and a great afternoon at the MOS for mom and daughter.

Beyond Eskimos and polar bears, we didn't know much about the Alaskan wilderness until we saw this film.  Narrated by Charlton Heston and originally nominated for Best Short in 1997, when it was first released, this documentary was jaw-dropping at times and funny and fantastic in other parts.  The filmmakers fly over the virtually unseen, "untouched by human hands" landscape and it seems almost like you've landed on another planet, with mile-deep glaciers and vast, wide open spaces covered in an eerie white and blue-white that you have to see to understand. It talks a bit about the Alaskan people (don't call them Eskimos), and their deep love for the land, its beauty, and their appreciation for the wildlife they depend on (gratitude!). The film really focuses on the interdependence of man, animals and nature; a great lesson for kids on how we are all connected, and how we should only "take what we need" from the earth.

Of course, the segments showing the majestic humpback whales, funny sea lions, and black/brown/polar bears were our favorite parts (did you know black bears will play around just for fun?).  Funny bears! Giant whale tales! Silly lazy polar bears and industrious beavers! Alaskan salmon swimming upstream to spawn right where they themselves were hatched! We loved every minute of it, and then had plenty of time to enjoy lunch overlooking the Charles and explore the Green Wing a bit before heading home.

Many thanks to the nice folks at the Museum of Science, who provided us Omni tickets for this review. I'd highly recommend buying a family membership to the Museum (or any local science museum, if you are reading this post from outside the Boston area), as membership does indeed have many privileges like free Omni and Planetarium tix and discounts on food, gift shop purchases, and parking. You won't regret it... and it makes for a very relaxing afternoon because you won't feel like you have to spend all day "getting your money's worth".

We even had time to see three REAL shiny cotton-top Tamarin monkeys on the second level of the Green Wing... a dad and two siblings who were funny and entertaining to watch.

Someday, we hope to see Alaska for ourselves... it's on our list!