The size and scope of the IMAX camera is perfect for taking us to unfamiliar places, and "Journey to Mecca," which opened yesterday at the St. Louis Science Center, is an ideal subject, following the 5000-mile, 18-month solo journey of a 14th-century Muslim student, Ibn Battuta. More than 700 years ago, at the age of 21, he made the religious pilgrimage from his home in Morocco to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
Narrated in the rich, interesting voice of Ben Kingsley, the film shows ther young man's difficulties as he crosses northern Africa, through the Sahara Desert, to a jumping-off place in Cairo. Along the way, there is a touch of the American western, necessary to move things along, though the Sahara bears little resemblance to Monument Valley.
Watching the crowds enter Mecca, as they do every year, with hundreds of thousands of people making the Hajj, is extremely impressive, and the huge screen of the IMAX just makes it more so. Bruce Neibaur directed with skill and patience, showing the pilgrims in some amazing effects, and he, Carl Knutson and Tahir Shah wrote the script for Kinglsey. The real Ibn Battuta was an exceptional young man. In a 14th-century world, he continued eastward, reached China long before Marco Polo, and did not return to his home in Tangier for nearly 30 years.
Journey to Mecca playing at the Saint Louis Science Center
—Joe