Few who witnessed the awesome spectacle of the Titanic emerging from the darkness of the ocean depths in James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss are likely to forget that spectacular sight, and now the groundbreaking filmmaker journeys even deeper into unexplored territory with this look at some of nature's most elusive creations in Aliens of the Deep. Using the basic concepts of astrobiology as his foundation, Cameron enlists the aid of talented marine biologists and NASA researchers to reveal the
fascinating and seldom-seen life forms of the sea and use their biological makeup to create a speculative blueprint for what life on other planets might look like. In the super-heated, mineral-charged water of hydrothermal vents, creatures such as a six-foot-tall worm with crimson plumes dance alongside blind white crabs and some of the strangest creatures you're ever likely to see. If Ghosts of the Abyss brought viewers as close as they're ever likely to get to standing on the ocean floor and beholding the majesty of one of history's most notorious tragedies, Aliens of the Deep brings them as close as they may ever come to standing face-to-face with an alien life form. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A master showman's large-format documentary, a movie with great images, great special effects and the sheen of Hollywood often missing in these museum or science-center movies.
Here we know only that Cameron and his bright-eyed young scientists (who take turns narrating) are heading to the deeper parts of the Atlantic and Pacific to observe the environment and life-forms down there.
It's not usual for documentaries to ingest the sci-fi genre, but in this case it's an eye pleasing and mind boggling excursion, beautifully realised and seamlessly integrated into the film.
Once you get used to the "awesome" and "wow"-heavy dialogue, James Cameron's excursion into both 3-D technology and deep ocean trenches delivers some fascinating footage.
Even if these plants and animals did not exist, we may have already invented them, courtesy of those sci fi special effects magicians working overtime for the past decades.
Even if these plants and animals did not exist, we may have already invented them, courtesy of those sci fi special effects magicians working overtime for the past decades.
That IMAX 3-D cameras have plunged so deep to record an often bizarre array of sea creatures undoubtedly delivers a certain 'wow' factor, but the accompanying commentary is heavier on breathless excitement than solid fact.
The final shot, in particular, is awesome, and confirms that the sooner Cameron gets back to making proper movies, instead of Boys' Own diversions, the better.
Some great shots of some odd (alien) deep sea fish and a good tie into space exploration, but other than that, the 3D isn't that great and reaction shots go too long.
If there's two things that James Cameron can't get enough of, it's aliens and the sea. In this documentary, he combines both of his passions and turns it into a fascinating exploration of the strange creatures that inhabit the deep depths of the world's oceans. Not only that, but like the great visionary that he is, he
alsogoes beyond those found on Earth and looks at how the ocean life might look like on one of Jupiter's many moons, namely Europa. It'd be cool to say the least if they went there for real someday, because after seeing this production, it seems the prospect of finding alien life there, is far from mere science fiction.
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