Deep Sea (2006) Reviews

• The best IMAX movie I have EVER seen - EXTRAORDINARY!

  drpatrickcosgrove2006-03-06

  This movie is an absolute must-see. The underwater cinematography is outstanding. I am a scuba diver and have been snorkeling many times and the images in this movie made me long for the sea. This film captures the incredible adrenaline-pumping feeling of what it is like to be under the sea, to be visiting what feels like another universe on our own planet. The visual images are amazing. For example, the movie will show a shot of a certain part of a reef and you'll be staring right at it and BOOM a fish who was perfectly camouflaged into the reef will pop right out at you. The 3-D effects rock. What most impressed me about this film was that I learned about and saw beautiful pictures of countless species I never even knew existed before. To be 38 years old and see a species on this planet you've never seen before is pretty cool. Additionally, I learned a lot about the habits of many of these creatures that I had no clue about. In sum, great entertainment for adults. You cannot leave without learning something new. Also a wonderful, highly entertaining film for children.

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• Totally real, but you don't get wet.

  thbinbos2006-03-06

  Even the best of undersea documentaries are still viewed on a screen 50' or more away, not to mention the flat, often grainy screen. "Deep Sea" (3D) shrinks that 50' to a few feet, and in some cases, inches, and brings you scuba-diver-close to crystal clear coral, fish and shellfish, sharks, and even whales. Undersea images are not just presented to you. You are in their element. You are among them . . .literally surrounded by them. The crystal clear images hovering over the seat in front of you beg you to reach out and touch them. I found myself pointing to small details on coral or fish as my wife and we spoke in awed tones at what we were seeing. I would think that children would find this easy to take, also. There was a little bit of this-eating-that going on, but nothing really stressful. This is a serious, high quality use of the 3D medium to bring you up close and personal to life in the deep in a way you would never imagine is possible. Bravo!

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• Thoroughly enjoyable, don't miss it.

  kccrouch2006-02-27

  This is one of the finest examples of underwater photography ever. I'm a diver and have visited some of these places, and this will give anyone a first hand look at what goes on underwater. The colors are true and the sounds are incredible. I'm very glad to have been able to see it. I'm told that the IMAX cameras weigh in at 1500 pounds. Even underwater with neutral buoyancy, moving those cameras about must have been a real challenge. The narrators do a wonderful job of keeping the film interesting for non divers by questioning each other, and then answering those questions in a revealing manner. This film is suitable for grade school children through adults. A great endeavor.

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• DVD Is Not In 3-D, But It Still Looks Good

  ccthemovieman-12007-07-10

  This is a review of the DVD which, unfortunately, is not in 3D so I am unable to rave about those "effects" as others have here, and was unable to enjoy the film as much as others did at the IMAX theaters. However, I am not complaining. I still thought the photography was amazing and the colors just spectacular. I've never seen underwater footage this good. This also is the first time I've actually heard the sounds that some of these marine creatures make. I just presumed, like many others, there was mostly silence underneath the surface. That's not so; there are some amazing sounds. More so, there are some amazing creatures that most of us have never heard about or seen. Some of them are downright weird-looking, repulsive yet fascinating. They are so strange you think you're looking at some animated film with cartoon characters.....but these creatures are real. Some of them are frightening and brutal killers. I've read complaints about the narration by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, and have to agree on a couple points. Winslet does make an attempt to put some reflection in her voice but Depp sounds like he's sleepwalking through this. His voice is flat, a monotone, and it sounds like he's reading the material for the first time. Neither of these two add much life to his documentary. Others complain that it's just under 40 minutes and thus, the DVD overpriced. Well, not having compared it to the IMAX 3-D experience, I found it very interesting and stunning to view. I wouldn't mind adding it to my collection because this is something I would watch multiple times.

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• Beautiful photography but the narration is very much aimed at kids

  motta80-22006-02-21

  Deep Sea is the latest joy to be released in IMAX but part of its excellence comes, as so often, from being presented in IMAX 3D. All films should be released in this format, it's the true way forward for cinema. Even The Polar Express was good in IMAX! Deep Sea is a 40 minute documentary feature that makes the most of its 3D. From the opening shot of a wave headed straight out of the screen to jellyfish fields, giant sea turtles and octopus and a legion of fish varieties and stunning underwater seascapes it does present the world it shows in rarely seen way. It is only let down by the talking down, over-humanisation of the narration aimed at the kids in the audience, especially from Kate Winslet. Johnny Deppp works better but Winslet sounds like a school-marm talking to a class of four year olds. And the narration has an annoying habit, ala March Of The Penguins, of endowing the animals with human traits to make them easier to associate with for childish minds. David Attenborough and the BBC make better documentaries as a whole production but you can't fault Deep Sea 3D's visuals and the immersion experience the IMAX format provides. See it for the experience. It is like nothing you've experienced before, the narration really is only a minor annoyance.

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