`LIVING SEA' OFFERS IN-DEPTH LOOK AT VAST ARRAY OF OCEAN LIFE.

Byline: Duane Byrge Hollywood Reporter

Countless poems and philosophical tracts have been written comparing the vastness of the universe to humankind's relative smallness. But comparatively little has been written, or even spoken, about the part of the Earth that takes up 70 percent of its surface - the oceans.

The vastness as well as richness of the depths are plumbed in this latest IMAX offering, ``The Living Sea,'' which clues us landlubbers in to the staggering array of life forms that flourish in the oceans' depths.

Swelled by a gentle thematic current - our survival is linked to the health of the ocean - ``The Living Sea'' is at once educational and entertaining. Screenwriters Roger Holzberg and Tim Cahill have codified a school of subjects into a seamless lesson on underwater life: In essence, ``The Living Sea'' is akin to an introductory course on oceanography, one that instills one with both an appreciation of the ocean's life-giving powers as well as a respect for its terrible forces.

As distilled by director Greg MacGillivray, ``The Living Sea'' is a mesmerizing dip into the lower depths of marine life. Captivatingly shot with all the towering power of the IMAX process, MacGillivray's direction alternately dips us through a kaleidoscope of undersea colors (ancient corals, giant kelp forests, millions of golden jellyfish) and pummels us with Hawaii's gigantic cresting surf. In one of the 40-minute film's most exciting segments, we're subjectively put into the bow of a small Coast Guard vessel in the raging waters of Oregon's Disappointment Bay, where more than 1,000 boats have perished this century. One literally shields one's face from the torrent of 200-ton waves that seemingly break against the screen - the effect is that we're right in the boat.

This particular IMAX outing is further buoyed by Meryl Streep's even-toned, respectful narration and Sting's stirring sounds.