In the wake of the overwhelming success of Titanic, writer-director James Cameron took a break from making traditional Hollywood pictures to pursue his love for deep sea exploration. In the process, we got two IMAX documentaries from Cameron. The first was Ghosts of the Abyss, which followed Cameron and a team of experts as they explored the undersea wreckage of the Titanic. His follow-up documentary, Aliens of the Deep, sees Cameron and a new group of scientists return to the bottom of the ocean; this time to get a glimpse of some of the most remarkable creatures and ecosystems on the planet.
Aliens of the Deep is a 47-minute IMAX documentary, originally shown in 3D. It follows a team of explorers comprised of engineers, marine biologists, NASA scientists, and one Oscar-winning filmmaker, as they take a series of high-tech submersibles to the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of ocean. The short length doesn't allow for a developed narrative regarding the team. Instead, we get the condensed highlights of the trip. We meet the crew, see the sights, and speculate on the importance of such missions. Aliens of the Deep mostly serves as something like an extremely big-budget home movie, with James Cameron inviting us to experience all of the best moments of the expedition.
However, apart from the documentary footage of the deep sea voyage, there are a few sequences speculating on missions to discover similar underwater life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. These sequences are surprisingly well-animated and engrossing. Cameron suggests that the water under the ice of Europa may harbor life without the need of the sun in the same way that Earth's hydrothermal vents support organisms who thrive at the bottom of the ocean. The possible similarities of Earth and Europa's oceans are the most interesting scientific questions raised in Aliens of the Deep, which otherwise consists of looking at neat underwater scenery and hearing the scientists exclaim, "Wow!", and "Look at that!".
That is not to say that the underwater visuals are not often spectacular. While more time than needed is spent looking at the submarine equipment and murky rock formations, there are indeed some incredible sights in Aliens of the Deep. The mysterious silk-like invertebrate, flowing across the glass bubble of Cameron's sub, is a enduring take away from the film. A lot of time is spent on the hydrothermal vents and the massive swarms of shrimp and other sea life that huddle around them. Thankfully, the sheer mystery and sense of discovery keeps these less-than- remarkable sights interesting.
There is more than enough in Aliens of the Deep to recommend experiencing. It is well shot, its profiled scientists are colorful real-life characters, it is sometimes engaging on an intellectual level, and it stands as a very cool visual experience. Some may find the space exploration speculation to be a little corny, but I really bought into it. The 99-minute extended version (which I have not seen) no doubt adds context to the team's expedition, but the theatrical version is still worth a look. If you are a James Cameron fan, if you are interested in the mysteries of the deep ocean, or if you just want to take a visual trip somewhere completely new, find the biggest screen possible and see this solid documentary.
73/100
Aliens of the Deep is a 47-minute IMAX documentary, originally shown in 3D. It follows a team of explorers comprised of engineers, marine biologists, NASA scientists, and one Oscar-winning filmmaker, as they take a series of high-tech submersibles to the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of ocean. The short length doesn't allow for a developed narrative regarding the team. Instead, we get the condensed highlights of the trip. We meet the crew, see the sights, and speculate on the importance of such missions. Aliens of the Deep mostly serves as something like an extremely big-budget home movie, with James Cameron inviting us to experience all of the best moments of the expedition.
However, apart from the documentary footage of the deep sea voyage, there are a few sequences speculating on missions to discover similar underwater life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. These sequences are surprisingly well-animated and engrossing. Cameron suggests that the water under the ice of Europa may harbor life without the need of the sun in the same way that Earth's hydrothermal vents support organisms who thrive at the bottom of the ocean. The possible similarities of Earth and Europa's oceans are the most interesting scientific questions raised in Aliens of the Deep, which otherwise consists of looking at neat underwater scenery and hearing the scientists exclaim, "Wow!", and "Look at that!".
That is not to say that the underwater visuals are not often spectacular. While more time than needed is spent looking at the submarine equipment and murky rock formations, there are indeed some incredible sights in Aliens of the Deep. The mysterious silk-like invertebrate, flowing across the glass bubble of Cameron's sub, is a enduring take away from the film. A lot of time is spent on the hydrothermal vents and the massive swarms of shrimp and other sea life that huddle around them. Thankfully, the sheer mystery and sense of discovery keeps these less-than- remarkable sights interesting.
There is more than enough in Aliens of the Deep to recommend experiencing. It is well shot, its profiled scientists are colorful real-life characters, it is sometimes engaging on an intellectual level, and it stands as a very cool visual experience. Some may find the space exploration speculation to be a little corny, but I really bought into it. The 99-minute extended version (which I have not seen) no doubt adds context to the team's expedition, but the theatrical version is still worth a look. If you are a James Cameron fan, if you are interested in the mysteries of the deep ocean, or if you just want to take a visual trip somewhere completely new, find the biggest screen possible and see this solid documentary.
73/100