Film Review: "Deepsea Challenge 3D" (2014).

"Deep. Dangerous. Determined." This is Deepsea Challenge 3D. This documentary film directed by John Bruno, Ray Quint and Andrew Wight and written by Wight and John Garvin. As a boy, filmmaker James Cameron dreamed of a journey to the deepest part of the ocean. This film is the dramatic fulfillment of that dream. It chronicles Cameron’s solo dive to the depths of the Mariana Trench—nearly seven miles beneath the ocean’s surface—piloting a submersible he designed himself. The risks were astounding. The footage is breathtaking. The film is a celebration of science, courage, and extraordinary human aspiration.

On 26 March, 2012, filmmaker and Deepsea explorer James Cameron piloted the craft to accomplish this goal in the second manned dive reaching the Challenger Deep. Built in Sydney, Australia by the research and design company Acheron Project Pty Ltd, Deepsea Challenger includes scientific sampling equipment and high-definition 3-D cameras; it reached the ocean's deepest point after two hours and thirty-six minutes of descent from the surface. The Deepsea Challenger (DCV 1) is a 7.3-metre (twenty-four ft) deep-diving submersible designed to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest-known point on Earth.

Yes, the work they're doing is mind-boggling and important, but sometimes the images alone are more than capable of speaking for themselves. Once you get used to the "awesome" and "wow"-heavy dialogue, Cameron's excursion into the deep ocean trenches delivers some fascinating 3D footage. The experience is so immediate and immersive that you actually feel as if you are swimming with the krill. There are impressive rock formations and many other fine things to see, along with an interesting science lesson. Much of the allure of the film comes from Cameron's easygoing, rather unscientific approach to the project. It is useful to be reminded every once in a while that there's a whole universe of things we don't know, and that their discovery is exciting. Most of us will never have the good fortune to see these sights in their natural habitats, but the marvelous 3D imagery reveals them gloriously. The film captures not only the majesty of the brinier depths - but also the fascination therein that keeps luring Cameron back to the ocean. Cameron's showmanship and his on-screen appearances make his documentaries far livelier than your usual scientific expedition documentary, and this one is no exception. Last time we checked, 'Cool' wasn't in the official scientist-jargon handbook, go see this to be entertained rather than to be educated. The ninety-one-minute spellbinder will make your jaw drop with awe. And, like the best documentaries, it will also make you think. One sign of a successful 3D outing is how it makes you believe you are there in every frame, and this one does. 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. In the end, you have to give Cameron points for putting his financial muscle behind scientific expeditions rather than, say, lavish parties.

Simon says Deepsea Challenge 3D receives: