Enchorde How can we learn how to explore other planets in space? By exploring the extreme environments in the deep sea. That is the premise of this documentary. So, to put it clearly, this is not a nature movie that shows a lot of fantastic animals and show us how the ecosystem works down there. This is a movie about how we do to get that knowledge, the technology aspect, the possibilities and unexpected problems. We get to know a few of the explorers thoughts, and strategies how to learn something new, and their visions and dreams (some of which is now reality). Of course, we get to see some of the extreme nature, some really freaky animals, but it is not really the main point 8even though I too wish they could have shown a little more of the animals and plants they studied). If you want to see a nature movie, you should probably pick another movie. If you are into exploration, how to break frontiers in real life (and not science fiction) this is more for you.

dbborroughs James Cameron takes some astro-scientists to the deep ocean to examine life far from the sun. The idea is to help ponder how life at the bottom of the ocean might be like aliens in space-perhaps even on the moon Europa.I watched the extended version of this documentary on DVD and found it beautiful to look at but tedious to endure. The problem is that unlike Cameron's earlier IMAX film on the Titanic there doesn't appear to be enough material to double the length of the 48 minute IMAX release. Its a great deal of talking heads speaking (down) to the audience. I felt I was at a museum and was getting a gee whiz lecture by the staff who under estimated my ability to understand what they were saying. I doubt most six years old like being talked to the way this film talks to its audience. I lost my patience and began to scan through to the pretty pictures. To be certain the undersea vistas are spectacular and the animated bits of what aliens might look like is neat, but the narration that holds it all together is weak. I'm going to have to go back and try the short version of the film, perhaps it will play better (almost certainly it won't have the dead spots the longer version does.Worth a look for the visuals.

jldmp1 A failure on several levels...Throughout his repertoire, Cameron has set out to film water, or more precisely, 'liquidity' -- it's his customary point of departure -- what world could be more cinematic?. It follows that he will try to make parallels between deep ocean and space exploration. Cameron is also an unabashed showoff, so he must clutter every visual with gadgetry -- the 'look what I can do' factor -- as an unsubtle wink at the audience...every movie he makes. The deep ocean photography should have been more than enough, but he then has to make a push for SETI and other 'cutting edge' research.And therein lies a big problem. Cameron uses the most fecklessly infantile animation ever wedged into a big-budget movie, complete with little green men with sped-up voices (extended DVD version), and NASA probes that make noise in the vacuum while firing the retrorockets...this is no way to bolster science.It all concludes with "The Abyss" finale of mirrored 'aliens' making 'friends' in the deep...how can one push forward cinematically by repeating one's own worst clunker?

fugginspam This semi-documentary was simply lame. So and so gives some credentials and then blah blah blah about how much they like riding in a submarine 3000 meters under the sea - NOT because that would be cool and a once in a lifetime experience but because they somehow need this kind of physical real-world experience to image being in outer space. Its boasted on the box about all these deep sea species we're going to see: different fish/octopuses/worms in whole movie: 6-7. Amount of time showing cool deep sea critters: about 4 minutes. Amount of time showing computer generated rejects from low-budget video games: about 4 minutes. Sometimes wasting 15$ can really aggravate me, and then wasting 2 hours of my life totally throws me off the deepest end of some Europan Frozen Ocean. 0.5/10 honestly.