Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure

As Dame Judi Dench proclaims in this IMAX production, "Welcome to the world of bugs." Filmed in Borneo and on a U.K. soundstage, director Mike Slee's Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure brings over 40 insect species to frame-filling life, including a centipede shimmying up a leaf, a leggy spider spinning its web, and a rhinoceros-beetle battle. Kind of a cross between Microcosmos and A Bug's Life, the documentary provides its leading characters with Latin nicknames: Papilio (memnon), the herbivorous caterpillar (stop-motion photography captures Papilio's transformation from caterpillar to butterfly), and Hierodula (membranacea), the carnivorous praying mantis, both of whom receive the most screen time as their life cycles play out from beginning to—in one case—end. Dench's narration solidly illuminates the activity onscreen, while John Lunn's eclectic score (ranging from orchestral flourishes to jazzy interludes) adds to the charm. It's worth noting here that smaller children may be frightened and/or repulsed by a few of the more aggressive creatures, some of whom appear 250,000 times their actual size. As is often the case with IMAX DVDs, the extra features are nearly as long as the documentary itself, and here include a “making-of” featurette and interviews (with the director, cinematographer, and producers). Ironically, Bugs! is presented by Terminix, the insect-repellent company. Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (K. Fennessy)