Movie Review: Omnimax Presents Under the Sea

This morning when I told my husband that I was considering taking our four children to the Omnimax to see a movie you could see him cringe as he said “Isn’t that expensive?”.  And he was right, it isn’t that cheap for a 45 minute show, but I have no buyers remorse on this one!  Lucky for me, tickets to the Omnimax at the Cincinnati Museum Center are discounted for members (Are you a member of the Museum Center?!?!  If not, contact me and I will tell you the million & one reasons why you should be).  Also, children under 3 are free for the shows, so I ended up paying $14.50 for the five of us to see Under the Sea.

Here is a breakdown of the prices:

Members:  Adult – $5.50  Child – $4.50

Non-Members: Adult – $7.50  Child – $5.50  Senior – $6.50

While these do seem pricey, consider how much it costs nowadays to see a movie at the “regular” movie theaters!  **Also – please note, these prices do not include admission to the Museums.

Enough about the cost…let me tell you about the movie!  First, for those who have not experienced a movie at the Omnimax, I am unsure of how to describe the theater properly.  The seats are situated underneath a five-story high, domed screen, so the movie you are watching is projected all around you, giving you the impression of actually being a part of the movie.  In my opinion a movie at the Omnimax is way cooler than a 3D movie (this coming from a girl who saw Avatar in 3D).

Right now the featured movie is “Under the Sea” narrated by Jim Carrey.  It is a wonderfully made show that takes the viewers on an underwater adventure to meet the most amazing and unique creatures of the sea.  I had never even heard of half the fish they depicted in this movie, such as the leafy sea dragon, or the frog fish.  The movie takes you to places under the seas near Australia, Indonesia & New Guinea.  You almost feel as if the fish are going to swim up and touch you in your seats, it is breathtakingly beautiful.  And a great learning experience for children!  I took my four kids (ages: 2 months, 2 years, 4 years and 6 years) and except for the baby (who slept through it) they were absolutely fascinated.  I loved watching them watch the movie, the expressions on their faces were priceless.  And afterwards they were so animated in discussing all of the different sea life they saw.  The movie was not scary at all, and quite suitable for young children, in my opinion.  The most intense scenes were of fish eating other fish, or a turtle gnawing on a jellyfish.  The one thing I would consider is if the screen might be too overwhelming for your child.  My kids didn’t seem to mind, and the motion of the sea had no effect on them (they warned at the beginning of the show that the motion of the water may make people feel ill).

So if you are looking for a fun thing to do on Spring Break, or on a rainy day, I highly recommend you check out Under the Sea at the Museum Center!  And while you are there, check out one of their fabulous museums (The Children’s Museum, Cincinnati History Museum and the Natural History Museum).  It is a perfect place for families to visit!