Mystic India Review

Mystic India
Loosely focussing on the story of Neelkath, the eleven year old child Yogi who in 1792 leaves his home to walk 8,000 odd miles across the subcontinent on a journey of enlightenment. Wherever he goes, he brings peace and wisdom, but no-one can convince him to stay in one place.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

10 Jun 2005

Running Time:

45 minutes

Certificate:

U

Original Title:

Mystic India

Like many of its IMAX counterparts, there's no denying the beauty of the images on display in Mystic India, but what's really impressive is learning the lengths all involved went to in order to get them. Crammed with shots from never before photographed areas, and utilising 45,000 extras (not one of them CGI), it's not short on spectacle – but then, that's the point.

Part docu-drama, part travelogue for all of the nation's positive aspects (yes, including spirituality), this latter aspect sometimes dominates the enjoyable narrative, but propaganda would be too strong a word. Being large format, it's necessarily but also noticeably aware of its time limit, and at 45 minutes, you're left wanting more detail in the story, but with narration from Peter O'Toole, for whom the cliché about reading the phone book is true, it certainly never outstays its welcome, ending as an absorbing appetiser.

There's a lot to like – great score, wonderful images and an interesting story – but it's mostly this last element that you'll come out feeling hungry for, which was perhaps not intended, but it still works as a springboard to discovering more about the c
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