Deep Sea 3D (2006)

Just perfect...

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

This is a good documentary and the shots and coverage of the deep ocean is quite pleasing(and harrowing in places). However, with the advent of instant access to so much content, there isn't anything here that you won't find in better resolution on Netflix or Amazon. Still, if you enjoy documentaries or have even the slightest of fascination with sea life I feel you can spend an hour and some time with Deep Sea.

This is a underwater documentary from almost 10 years ago directed by Howard hall who has done quite a few of these. The music comes from Academy Award nominated composer Danny Elfman. I do not have a lot to criticize here. the recordings of the fish and other creatures interacting are pretty good I must say. Sadly, underwater species have never been my preferred animals, so I cannot appreciate these 40 minutes as much as I like to. But that is just personal preference. And there was another flaw in my opinion. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet may be among the biggest movie stars on the planet, but one narrator is really enough for a documentary film, especially such a short one. I guess they wanted to advertise heavily with this duo, but still I'd have been fine with either of the two, especially as the interactions were sometimes a bit embarrassing, like when Winslet asks what's that and Depp starts explaining. Luckily, the great nature recordings make up for these minor flaws. A good documentary and I recommend it.

A startling trip down under (I don't mean Australia!!) under the sea, specially for mugs like me who cant swim, scuba or otherwise get wet. Awe-inspiring and drenched with mystique. The part about the millions of coral polyps releasing their spawn precisely on the eighth day after the new moon, at a synchronized moment 1 hour after sunset...well that may be a mystery to scientists!! I asked my young nephews as we returned home, "who programmed the Game Boys for your PC? Who programmed those polyps?" They responded spontaneously to the logical conclusion, off course youths do not fear the conclusions to which their minds naturally lead them. Mystery indeed! Our only misgiving was we didn't see any sea-horses, my wifes favorite poisson.

The 40 minute IMAX experience makes it's way to DVD without any additions, minus the 3D glasses. For better or worse what home viewers are still left with remains nothing short of stunning the entire stretch of time. Against all marketing intuitions, the short documentary still remains absolutely captivating from the first frame with it's charming portrayal of some of the ocean's less represented characters. Aided by the eerie luminescence of Danny Elfman's score and playful narration from Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Deep Sea 3D might pale in comparison to the original experience but for anyone even half-interested in the revelations of nature, particularly occurring in the alternate universes miles below us, the spectacular, too-beautiful-to-be-real visuals present will remain nothing short of miraculous with each subsequent viewing.