Ghosts of the Abyss
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Movie Reviews of Ghosts of the Abyss
Movie Review: First good Cameron film since T2.
Summary: 4 Stars
Ghosts of the Abyss (James Cameron, 2003)
[Note: this review refers to the ninety-minute DVD edition rather than the theatrical release.]
It is appropriate that James Cameron, who effectively ended his career as a serious film director with Titanic, should return to the same source material in order to attempt to redeem himself. He succeeds, though one wonders whether he will ever again be able to turn his camera to fiction (in a telling line, Cameron tells Bill Paxton, "there's no script. We don't know what we're going to find." Maybe that's why this worked when Titanic failed so... titanically). His follow-up to this (and the second big-screen project since the moneymaking machine slash critical joke that was Titanic) is another documentary. Praise be.
Cameron obviously watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau National Geographic specials back when we were all kids. This is, at its base, roughly the same beast as those old specials, except that Cameron has a bunch of new technology to play with, including remote cameras specifically designed for the excursion, and he also has CGI. In that way, he can explore pieces of the Titanic that no one's seen for almost ninety years, and give viewers perspective of the historical accuracy of the settings on his monumental bomb by overlaying short pieces of the movie into the wreckage with CGI. These scenes work so very well that it's almost as if Cameron made the big, bloated mess in order to get footage for these ninety minutes.
The photography is gorgeous, absolutely top-notch. And there's a certain feeling to seeing something that no one has seen for ninety years that you have to feel to believe. This is the rough equivalent of video cameras having been present at Carter's first entry into Tutankhamun's tomb. Definitely worth watching. *** ½
Movie Review: An In Depth Look Inside the Titanic
Summary: 4 Stars
This documentary was exactly what I was looking for: Going back inside the Titanic, deeper and farther than anyone else has ever been before. Anyone expecting another movie about the ill fated ocean liner will be disappointed; this is a Discover Channel-ish documentary. But if you're looking for some new shots and recent infromation about this ship, this is your DVD.
James Cameron, along with author Charles Pellegrino, and actor Bill Paxton take viewers back two miles beneath the North Atlantic to the Titanic's resting place. You'll see woodwork, previously assumed to be lost forever; beautiful lead glass windows, still intact; the staterooms of Molly Brown, Bruce Ismay, and Captain Smith; various cargo holds; as well as previously unexplored regions in the 3th Class areas of the ship. I especially liked when Cameron would frame indistinguishable areas of the ship with how they looked on Titanic's maiden voyage.
If you are into undersea exploration and archeaology, or are a Titanic buff, this is definitely worth looking into. Also check out Charles Pellegrino's book, "Ghosts of the Titanic," for other details the movie wasn't able to cover. Highly recommended!
Movie Review: IMAGINATIVE USE OF BOTH IMAX AND 3-D MEDIUMS, GREAT FOOTAGE
Summary: 4 Stars
First a disclaimer: I couldn't stand the movie Titanic, barring only the CGI of the sinking mishap. If you cared about the special FX, you'll be blown away by this documentary. Always an innovative technical director, Cameron uses both Imax and 3-D mediums imaginatively. At one point, he splits the screen into four panels of four different scenes that are suspended in space before us to create an epic sense of stereoscopic involvement.
What makes this expedition different from Cameron's 1995 dive (the one used in "Titanic") though is a pair of robotic camera devises that can explore the narrowest corridors and hidden corners of the wreck and, of course, give us a 3-D, 70mm view on the big, big Imax screen. In the Imax documentary tradition, he offers several dramatizations of historical moments, some color with his expert crew and one genuinely suspenseful sequence in which a robot camera appears to become fatally snarled in the wreckage.
The film is somewhat long, so the 3-D glasses may weigh in on your nose (or it may just have been me) but it's a great watch if you have the chance.
Movie Review: A fascinating trip to the Titanic
Summary: 4 Stars
What made this so interesting was the march of technology - New was a huge light (requiring another ship) called Medussa that was lowered 12,000 feet over the ship. They also had digital recreations on the wreck of the original structure superimposed...
The bridge (among several areas) came to life when they used this digital recreation.
They also brought 2 remotely piloted robotic cameras named Jake and Elwood (Blues Brothers fans I would assume!) that took you into the interior of the ship.
There was some sadness even today when you saw a woman's still laced shoe and realizing that the body was long gone...
This is one DvD that doesn't stay in the shelf long - I have watched it repeatedly.
And I saw the tie in to Cameron's 1997 movie when I realized that this Russian deep sea exploration ship was the same one they used in the 1997 movie...
Movie Review: For fans of the event
Summary: 4 Stars
This DVD will appeal to fans of the sinking and others will find it only interesting. The strengths of this DVD are the fantastic photography and the overlays of actual pictures of the ship and recreations of events (the ghosts) acting out some of what happened. [For historical accuracy, many of the actual photographs are probably of the Titanic sister ship as the actual ship was not fully recorded photographically.] One really gets a good understanding of where the photographs were taken within the ship and those photographs are remarkable. This is a much better dive record than the previously released National Geographic 'Secrets of the Titanic'. I found the second DVD in this set unnecesary but fans will find it useful. Those who have an interest in the fate of the Titanic will want to add this to their collection.