James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Into the abyss.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 10, 2014

James Cameron, the filmmaker behind Hollywood mega-hits like The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, and Avatar, has turned unparalleled skill for moviemaking into an opportunity to immerse himself in his passion for exploration, namely the exploration of the Earth's deepest waters. His considerable stature, wealth, and thirst for knowledge has earned him the title "Explorer-in-Residence" at National Geographic and also earned him the opportunity to build a craft capable of withstanding the demanding pressures of deep sea exploration, outfitted with modern technologies that will not necessarily facilitate the journey -- his will be no pleasure cruise -- but rather make it happen for an extended period while collecting samples and capturing it all in 3D video. Deepsea Challenge explores the process of building the vessel, taking her on several test runs, and following her into the deepest, darkest, unknown depths of Earth's waters for a one-of-a-kind adventure that only real life, real passion, and real determination could make happen.

The explorer.

For all the technological progress of the last century, for all the manned and unmanned space flights throughout the nearby regions of the galaxy, the great advances in robotics and materials, the improvements in computers and cameras, Earth's deepest aquatic depths remain one of man's last, great mysteries, and it's right here on his own planet. The deepest depths reach about four miles down, and their combined area is larger than the North American continent. That's a sizable bit of the planet that remains unexplored. James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge follows its namesake's quest to be the first man to venture so far down. It examines his childhood idols -- famed ocean explorers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh -- and the construction of Cameron's own vertically traveling submersible. The picture follows its construction and test phases before her launch down into the great unknown with only Cameron crammed into the spherical cockpit and the ever-increasing hazards that mount with every meter he further plunges into the darkness.

James Cameron obviously harbors a deep passion for exploration, the world's oceans, the life underneath them, the mysteries that surround them, and all of the natural and manmade histories within them. Blend that with his cutting edge vision for 3D filmmaking and passion for the cinematic medium and his Deepsea Challenge plays with something of an air of inevitability about it, a natural match of man and ambition, curiosity, drive, and capability to pull off a truly extraordinary journey. It's a shame that Cameron's cutting-edge exploration seems so much less a noted event than did man's travels heavenward, for this is nearly as fascinating. There's something about exploring the unknown right here on Earth, and even more fascinating is that so much of the world's deepest surfaces remain almost complete mysteries in the year 2014 when it takes a man and his dream, not a nation and its resources, to explore the unexplored. Cameron's journey, as it's depicted on the 3D screen, plays with both an intimacy and a larger scale, forming a personal relationship with the filmmaker and explorer as he shares his story and the audience, in turn, shares the vessel's cramped confines with him while at the same time embarking on a fascinatingly big and epic journey from conception to reality as the ship is built, tested, and put into action with Cameron at the helm for a history making journey into the unknown.

While the film is no technical marvel in terms of the scope and scale of a Hollywood production -- it plays with a distinct Documentary flavor -- it is rather large in terms of ambition, in getting those cameras on the vessel, working properly, and capturing some of the natural wonders below. Granted, there's not much beyond murky surface dust and a few curious visitors to the vessel, but seeing things nobody has seen until now is a real treat and enough to warrant a watch. Yet Cameron makes the movie feel important, even if it doesn't play with the same large scale as his fictional films. Cameron also veers away from making this something of a vanity project, at least in terms of how the audience sees the story come together, and more of an educational experience and something, he hopes, younger generations of explorers will one day look towards the same way he gazed upon Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh's undersea journey some decades ago.

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that does not give viewers the option of selecting the 2D or 3D versions of the film; the 3D auto-plays on 3D equipment with no selectable menu option to the contrary. A pre-menu screen does advise that 2D-only viewers will only be able to watch a 2D transfer. The image's basic parameters generally satisfy, though they are not without some flaws. Heavy noise infests portions of the program, with an obvious example being a recreated scene featuring Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh. Light aliasing is evident in spots, too, and the general image quality fluctuates from vibrant and sharp to dull and soft. Generally, however, it moves through a good middle ground that offers solidly crisp HD details, nicely bold colors, and deep black levels. The 3D elements range from bland to outstanding. Basic shape and depth are almost always evident, though there are certainly some noticeably flat scenes that barely seem to benefit from the added dimension, generally in the submersible's cramped cockpit. But the film more than makes up for any shortcomings with some excellent effects that allow for a nice range of surprising 3D elements. Materials, such as the submersible's "arms" and the sunken Bismarck's cannons, effortlessly appear to extended beyond the confines of the screen to nearly "reach out and touch it" levels of pop. Various factory shots are beautifully deep and extend beyond the screen, and bits of floating ocean debris also appear to extended beyond the screen's flat confines. The transfer is very well balanced with a good variety of out-front and back-in 3D visuals that should oftentimes dazzle 3D viewers.

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge offers a good, nicely balanced Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Musical delivery is big and spacious but still focused and accurate. Instrumental clarity satisfies, and the track offers a robust yet balanced and unobtrusive low end. Various sound effects enjoy nice scene-defining prominence without going overboard, whether on the water's surface, underneath, or back in the factory where the vessel is made. Dialogue is clear and center-focused, with narration the real standout in terms of firmness and realism. In-film dialogue is generally likewise even and clear, but there are a few scattered hints of mild muddiness. Overall, however, this is a solid audio presentation from Millennium Media.

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge contains two featurettes. A DVD copy of the film is also included in the Blu-ray case.

• The Deepest Point on Earth (1080p, 2D, 3:32): A short preview of Cameron's contemporary voyage juxtaposed against the Piccard-Walsh 1960 expedition on board the Trieste.
• An Alien World (1080i, 2D, 2:13): Cameron discusses some of the specifics of the dive.
• Previews: Additional Millennium Entertainment titles.

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge is a fascinating and occasionally breathtaking journey into the unknown. Though it shows signs of "vanity project," it manages to overcome Cameron's personal drive and feel more like a true path to exploration, not a constant stoking of ego. It's well done, boasts great 3D visuals, and is filled with enough casual and tech content to satisfy both extremes. Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release of James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge features solid video, good audio, and a couple of supplements. Recommended.