Ghosts Of The Abyss ( * * * )
I hear that James Cameron's next movie is going to be a documentary called Aliens of the Deep. What's next after that? Terminator of the Geothermal Line? True Lies About Magma? Grow up and make a movie where things blow up, willya?
The Acting: I don't know if it is acting or not. It's a documentary about the Titanic that was filmed after the movie Titanic won Cameron every award known to man. Bill Paxton tags along--not credited as "narrator"--but as "Bill Paxton: passenger."
The Story: Cameron is a genius, and his brother is some sort of physicist super genius. Together they created two manueverable underwater submersibles sent to film the inside of the Titanic for the first time since it sank in 1912. The most interesting moment in the extended 90 min. DVD version of the film (It was originally an IMAX 3D movie) was the fact that they lose a submersible and spend all day on Sept. 11 2001 getting it back, only to surface and hear Bill Paxton say, "Jim, it's the worst terrorist attack in history..." and proceed to describe the events of 9/11 to Cameron.
The Direction: You get a sense of the mixed crew of scientists and russian "cowboys" and hollywood actors, but Cameron doesn't make it look like fun. James Cameron's the mission leader, sort of, but you don't end up learning a huge amount about the sunken ship you've not heard before.
Overall: I just want to point out that every James Cameron movie with the word "Abyss" in the title has a scene where a guy is trying to clamp the rope of a loose submersible with a robotic claw. Only this time, if he'd missed, it would have personally cost James Cameron millions of dollars since the submersible in question was one of his "Jake" and "Elwood" inventions. In The Abyss, all that was at stake was humankind.
Tredekka Rules:
The Acting: I don't know if it is acting or not. It's a documentary about the Titanic that was filmed after the movie Titanic won Cameron every award known to man. Bill Paxton tags along--not credited as "narrator"--but as "Bill Paxton: passenger."
The Story: Cameron is a genius, and his brother is some sort of physicist super genius. Together they created two manueverable underwater submersibles sent to film the inside of the Titanic for the first time since it sank in 1912. The most interesting moment in the extended 90 min. DVD version of the film (It was originally an IMAX 3D movie) was the fact that they lose a submersible and spend all day on Sept. 11 2001 getting it back, only to surface and hear Bill Paxton say, "Jim, it's the worst terrorist attack in history..." and proceed to describe the events of 9/11 to Cameron.
The Direction: You get a sense of the mixed crew of scientists and russian "cowboys" and hollywood actors, but Cameron doesn't make it look like fun. James Cameron's the mission leader, sort of, but you don't end up learning a huge amount about the sunken ship you've not heard before.
Overall: I just want to point out that every James Cameron movie with the word "Abyss" in the title has a scene where a guy is trying to clamp the rope of a loose submersible with a robotic claw. Only this time, if he'd missed, it would have personally cost James Cameron millions of dollars since the submersible in question was one of his "Jake" and "Elwood" inventions. In The Abyss, all that was at stake was humankind.
Tredekka Rules:
- Rule 5: Over The Top Acting Award--It's not exactly acting, but the cast/crew played up a moment in which a plaque they were going to put on the Titanic (saying something about how it's a monument to the hubris of mankind and the disasters man causes) is set aside because they have to go home to America because of 9/11. +2 stars, one each for Paxton and Cameron, for tastefully exploiting that tragedy (which saved this otherwise dull film).
- Rule 33 (NEW RULE): Any Documentary Gets A Pity Star For The Effort.
Tredekka Score: ( * * * )
posted by Tredekka at 8:09 PM
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