I have never seen a film before or since, be it Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings that was built for the silver screen the way that Titanic
was. It looked massive, the size of the ship was just right to convey
how enormous and over the top the original liner was, and the final
hour of the film in my book was filled with some of the most memorable
images in the history of cinema, complete with the final shot of Jack
and Rose on the back of the ship as it sinks into the water for the
last time. But then again, I love the whole Titanic
story. There’s something almost indescribable about why I’m
so attracted to the ill-fated maiden voyage of the ship. It’s a
combination of the ghostly images that we’ve seen of the wreck
that lies 3,800 meters under water, the epic scale of the world’s
(then) largest ever ocean liner, and the incredible stories of heroism
and bravery that came during the 2 hours and 40 minutes after the ship
struck an iceberg. James Cameron loves the Titanic as
well. After making the aforementioned blockbuster, Cameron returned to
the wreck in 2001, along with Bill Paxton and some HD cameras to
document the underwater grave in Ghosts Of The Abyss, an absolutely fascinating and awe inspiring documentary that takes you further into the Titanic than ever before possible. I’m
going to skip over the 3D effects until the end, and give you a general
sense of what occurs during the course of the hour long film. Bill
Paxton, who serves as our guide and narrator, is onboard a French
research vessel, along with Cameron, for what will be the first of 3
dives on the wreck. James and his brother Mike have designed and built
two ROV’s, Jake & Elwood, which can penetrate virtually any
area of the ship and broadcast real time images. Before the
really good stuff comes the interesting side of this doc, with a brief
history of the ship, where it was built (Belfast), how big it was (269
meters long, 28 meters wide), and of course, beautiful photos of the
original interiors of the “grandest ship of all time”. But,
that’s history out of the way, time for the dives themselves, and
some of the most hauntingly beautiful imagery you will ever witness. Over
the course of the remaining 45 minutes or so, Cameron & Paxton head
down on the 3 hour journey to the bottom in 2 MIR’s, where Paxton
quite justifiably starts to get a little antsy about the oxygen levels
and Cameron looks quite comfortable, which is quite understandable
because at 220 hours logged on the wreck, he has been on board the Titanic longer than the passengers themselves. It
is here that you start to be amazed, when you first see the massive
liner looming out of the darkness, and the MIR’s sweep over the
wreckage, embedded 60 feet into the ocean floor, the control room, the
crow’s nest where the Iceberg was spotted back in 1912, and in a
telling sign of shame, the gates to Steerage closed and locked firmly
in place, something I had thought was embellished for the film, but
quite obviously not when you look at this movie. When Jake & Elwood
are released into the ship itself is when you truly begin to appreciate
the beauty of it all. Windows, intricately designed with led lighting
still intact, the ornate iron doors of the entrance to first class, the
state room of the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, and so many
more incredible images that simply have to be seen to be believed. But
the most effective part of the experience is the “echoes”
that Cameron uses on the footage, with actors showing what particular
part of the ship you are looking at, because for a ship that has been
underwater for 93 years, some parts are unrecognizable without that
little bit of extra assistance. As for the 3D effects, I was very
impressed with the clearness and color of the image itself. With the
last film I saw in 3D being Freddy’s Dead, let me assure the general audience that it is not the old school 3D you remember from yesteryear. Historic
photographs are very impressive, but it’s the feeling that you
could reach out and touch the ship as you fly over it that really puts
you there. Absolutely breathtaking. Here’s the skinny on
the 3D for a doubting audience. I have perfect vision, so I had no
problem with the effect, and felt no strain at all over the course of
the hour. My wife wears reading glasses, and also had no trouble, and
my sister-in-law wears contacts, and also had no problems, so there you
go. No excuses! So I will say thank you thank you thank you thank
you thank you thank you to Hoyts Australia, who brought in some
specialty screens so that this movie could finally be shown to an
Australian audience, and I will end my review with this: you must see
this film on the big screen, the way that you had to see Titanic. It simply is not the same on DVD, no matter how big your television may be. Ghosts Of The Abyss
is a phenomenal, must-see achievement in film, and a touching tribute
to the 1,498 souls who lost their lives on April 14th, 1912.
EXTRAS
The DVD, whilst not in 3D, still looks rather good. Best of all,
there's an extra disc for special features - which includes an
exhaustive half-hour documentary.
Conclusion:
Movie 100% Extras: 65%
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