A weirdly hypnotic trip to Yellowstone

Is this thing worth a watch?

If you like those soothing, grainy nature shorts that play in the background of history museums, then absolutely. It’s perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon when you’re tired of high-stakes drama.

However, if you need a plot or, like, an actual human arc, you’re going to be bored to tears within the first three minutes. It is a travel guide from a different century, not a narrative thriller.

I found myself staring at the way the water bubbles in those hot springs. There’s something honestly mesmerizing about the way the film grain catches the steam. It makes the whole place look like another planet, or at least a very strange, damp dream.

The narrator has that classic, booming mid-Atlantic voice that sounds like he’s trying to sell you a life insurance policy at the same time he’s pointing out a grizzly bear. It’s jarring but weirdly comforting. It reminded me a bit of the frantic, forced energy in The Speed Spook, but with way less car crashing and way more sulfur.

Some random notes I scribbled down:

• The bear footage is clearly staged. You can tell the bear is just bored out of its mind.
• The waterfalls are loud even without sound, if that makes any sense? The visuals are just that heavy.
• I kept waiting for a plot to kick in, but it’s just rocks and water. It never happens.

There’s a moment where the camera lingers on a bubbling spring for way too long. It stops feeling like a travel video and starts feeling like an endurance test. Why are we still here? I don't know, but I couldn't look away.

It’s a funny contrast to something like The Big Bad Wolf where everything is chaotic and animated. Here, the landscape is the main character and it doesn't give a damn about the camera. It just sits there, being a giant volcano waiting to go off. 🌋

Is it better than a modern 4K drone shot? Maybe not in resolution. But there’s a dustiness to the image that feels real in a way a digital sensor can't quite capture. You’re watching the world as it was when people still wore hats to go hiking. That’s enough for me.