3 ½ stars

Wheeee!!!

That might be your initial reaction when you watch the first few minutes of “Adrenaline Rush: The Science of Risk.” But after your heart -- and your stomach -- settle down, you’ll learn that thrill-seeking involves a lot more than boldness.

You’ll up-close and from various perspective skydivers and base-jumpers (those who skydive from cliffs, for example). You’ll also enjoy the science -- some intriguing bits of history -- behind the thrills these athletes seek. “No other animal puts its life in danger for fun,” the narrator says of these risk-takers.

To help younger viewers understand how adrenaline works in our systems, we’re shown a little boy on his way to a new school. His heart is racing from fear -- and that helps even smaller audience members understand what the thrill of risk must feel like.

Mostly, though, this is about skydiving. A team from Quebec produced and directed this show that lets us see what it’s like to dive over the Florida Keys and the Mojave Desert, and from the Fjords of Norway.

Two divers that are central to the film are Adrian Nicholas, who has the record of 4 minutes and 55 seconds for the longest unassisted flight, and Katarina Ollikainen. To test whether the apparatus works, they are involved in flying, for the first time, the kind of parachute Leonardo da Vinci conceived in 1485. Why is that important? Because now scientists can develop more streamlined designs for cars or heart valves.

Many divers are shown while they are in free fall. They appear to be so relaxed and at-home while they plummet through the skies that it’s easy to forget they’re actually air-bound. One team of jumpers plays a game with a tennis ball that’s filled with lead.

One sequence takes us to a 4,500-foot cliff in Norway, where we see things -- thanks to a camera attached to a professional jumper -- from the diver’s viewpoint, even watching as his feet go off the ledge.

This movie packs a lot into its short running time. You’ll learn a little about da Vinci, a lot about skydivers and what drives them to such extremes, and tidbits about the brain chemistry of risk-takers versus how a scaredy-cat like me is put together. Mostly, you’ll take in glorious shots of the divers in motion, their chutes, and the locations in which they dive.

Risk certainly is a part of life. But there’s no risk involved in seeing this enjoyable and informative movie that’s bound to have your heart racing a time or two.

Rated: Similar to a G, for general audiences.

Director and screenwriter: Marc Fafard.

Running time: 40 minutes