Planetary Traveler

Customer Reviews:

Get this for the music!.......2006-01-18

Paul Haslinger, for a few years member of Tangerine Dream, has made a very good musical soundtrack which really kicks off in 5.1. If you dislike synthetic music, don't bother with this; if you do you will undoubtedly find that Haslinger has great musical talent, something which is hard to prove in this genre. So turn off your tv set and just listen.

disappointing.......2004-01-16

I was somewhat disappointed when I watched this DVD. Apparently, it was created with a very early version of Bryce around 1997. It shows very little advancement over a similar work called "Cyberflights," done with VistaPro on the Amiga about five years earlier. While it may have been cutting edge for desktop computers in the very early 1990s, it is quite out of date today. In fact, for a look at what was being done on the Amiga with New Tek's Lightwave in the early 1990s, check out Todd Rundgren's DVD, "The Desktop Video Collection."

There really is no story line, and very little is shown of the alien "mothership," which is the high point of the 3D artwork and a very interesting object. I would rather have seen much more of it. I also found the music, while well done, not to my taste and not very fitting for the animations. The different worlds seemed very much alike to me, with lots of orange seas and skies and similar terrain.

While I don't like to pan anyone's work, particularly when I know how difficult such a piece is to create, I would not recommend this DVD except as a historical piece to demonstrate where desktop computer animation was in the 90s compared to today. If you expect any kind of story line or lots of detailed looks at well rendered spaceships, you will be disappointed. If I had seen this before I bought it, I would not have gotten it.

I have not looked at the DVD-rom (computer only) parts yet, they may be better.

UNDERWHELMING!!.......2003-06-24

This title was a big dissapointment. With all due
respect,the people giving this dvd 5 stars must not
watch too much CGI. This is basically multi-colored
terrain done completely on desktop computers. The
music is even worse. The only way to salvage this
disc is to put on some music of your own and hope
for the best!

Good but not perfect.......2002-10-07

Liked the story line but I guess I was hoping for better music. The graphics are good. The Roller Coaster part I saw at the Sinsheim Museum in Germany. I recommend The Gate, Odyssey and Beyond.

Nice, not great.......2002-09-10

A good watch, but next to the minds eye series which is ultra fanatastic, it pales in a serious way. I recommend The Gate, Odyssey and Beyond.

Average customer rating:

60+ Chapter stops of useless video
Infinity's Child is rubbish
Disappointing
Not as much of a story as Planetary Traveler
It went from Work to the home.

Infinity's Child/Planetary Traveler
Starring: Tom Kane (II) , and Nathan House
Director: Jan Nickman
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Computer Animation | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: 1572526610
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Amazon.com

The makers of Planetary Traveler return with another wordless voyage through computer-generated worlds. Infinity's Child, however, leaves behind the recognizable if digitally realized landscapes from that first effort; this time, the images border upon the abstract. A brief voice-over at the opening informs us that the Phleig explorers from Planetary Traveler have tracked down one of their spacecraft circling abandoned above a mysterious planet. For the next 40 minutes we hear nothing but an electronic score alternatively droning and bouncing along as images drift by, undergo some transformation, then fade away again. Translucent rocks lazily roll upon a crimson sea; a watery substance ripples with golden light; crystal spires rise up from oceans.

These visions can be quite lovely (though some are uselessly busy and crammed with mathematically derived detail--a common problem with this sort of thing), and the film's plotless nature makes it easy to follow the drift of the animator's fancies. Infinity's Child can't match the fresh-eyed wonder of the "Stargate" sequence in 2001, but on its own terms it makes for pleasant viewing. DVD features include access to a demo version of the software used to make the film, for those interested in CGI technologies and techniques. --Bruce Reid

Customer Reviews:

60+ Chapter stops of useless video.......2003-01-08

Let's get something straight, animation is a lot more than moving images on screen! How could Jan Nickman been allowed to produce such a vapid foray in computer animation, let alone win awards for it. First some details: it's about 40 minutes long, includes a Dolby 5.1 Audio soundtrack, it's Full Screen (4:3 aspect ratio), not much af a menu to speak of and very few Extras.

Where is the character development? Where is the plot development, beyond the poorly written and equally poorly annuciated voice over track in the begining? Where are the award winning aminations and score worthy of a Grammy nominated composer such as Paul Haslinger? Where is the magic from animation wizard Rodney L'Ognion? Oh wait, they don't exist. At least not in this film.

As for being a "trip film", it's a trip best missed. All told, this film is yet another example of some half baked idea sold to those who need to be fully baked to watch it.

Infinity's Child is rubbish.......2003-01-08

I am a 3D artist working in film and training others. I bought infinty's child oops.This product is absoloute rubbish.The people behind this production have a very limited range of skills.ie no understanding of lighting,3D Modeling or just about anything to do with producing a cg film.I would also like to slag off the software they have used bryce 4,Its all a big joke to think idiots with crap software and nothing to offer can actually make money in the cg industry.Please stop the madness and whatever you do,dont buy this title.

Disappointing.......2002-04-22

I love computer graphics and bought this DVD looking for something interesting to put on in the background when I've got people visiting. Unfortunately, although there were a few scenes that were pretty cool the majority of the graphics were boring.

Not as much of a story as Planetary Traveler.......2001-08-24

I was sort of disappointed with this one. In Planetary Traveler you got the visual flight logs of a star faring race called the Phleig and their search for a world from which they could leap to the next level of existence. In this movie a ship has found it so the others come to explore and in my view the story starts to slip there. You get a short view of mother ships and small exploratory craft leaving them to head for the new world. They very quickly cross over into another realm, it's just a picture show from there on out. Technically Infinity's Child is a great improvement over Planetary Traveler, everything is much more three dimensionally rendered, the colors are great and the fluid effect in some scenes is amazing- too bad it's just a picture show.

It went from Work to the home........2001-07-31

I worked at Natural Wonders, a store that specializes in unique gifts, music, and video. Infinity's Child came into the store and I played in over the audio/video system in the store. After watching 10 minutes of the video I bought it and took it home. To sit down and watch this as a feature film is hardly what should be done. If you are entertaing friends or relaxing around the home or exercising; pop the video in and turn the sound up. It makes for great background music and video. I exercise to it and just enjoy the flowing techno / new age score and the dazzling colors.

DVD:

DVD

DVD