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3D Blu-ray Review James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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

Director James Cameron has already taken us far underwater fictionally in The Abyss and for real in Ghosts of the Abyss, Expedition: Bismarck, and Aliens of the Deep as the Oscar-winning director fulfills lifelong dreams of underwater exploration. His latest achievement, his biggest yet from a historical standpoint, can be found in Deepsea Challenge where he attempts to make it to the depths of the Mariana Trench, a location only two men in history had previously reached and that more than half a century ago. The film chronicles this enduring journey of Cameron who had dreamed of doing this from the time of his youth.

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Studio: Other

Distributed By: Millennium

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC, 1080P/MVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 2.0 DD, English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Rating: PG

Run Time: 1 Hr. 31 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD

keep case in a slipcover

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 11/11/2014

MSRP: $24.99




The Production Rating: 3.5/5

Narrated by James Cameron, the movie is somewhat hampered by being splintered in its focus: part autobiography (with recreated scenes of Cameron’s youth dreaming of this ultimate dive and how he worked these dreams into his films The Abyss, Titanic, and Avatar), part travelogue (we are witness to a New Guinea fire ceremony and interview people whose homes were wiped out by a volcanic eruption in the area where the dive will be conducted), and the actual documentary on the three years of designing, building, testing, and executing Cameron’s dream project. As National Geographic’s “explorer-at-large,” Cameron is in a unique position to hire a vastly experienced team to help him achieve his quest, and their work, the many problems and challenges that they all face in finally getting the submersible ready to go, gives the film its most compelling reasons for being.Of course, the underwater photography is exquisite (though on a percentage basis, there really isn’t that much of it), and directors John Bruno, Raymond Quint, and Andrew Wight are able to work up some tension with the various test runs of the sphere that increase in depth from one meter to 27,000 feet as the team struggles with snafus and system failures at various junctures before going for their ultimate goal: the New Britain Trench at 36,000 feet. Cameron is alone in the sphere, and cameras inside record his every movement: his work in manning the device as well as his pleasure at simply gazing at what the world below the surface of the ocean has to offer to him. Along the way, the cameras catch the aftermath of a tragic helicopter accident that robbed the production of one of its directors (Andrew Wight) and cameraman Mike deGruy (the film is dedicated to the pair) as well as Cameron’s wife Suzy Amis Cameron who beams on the sidelines as her man fulfills this long-held dream.The film also captures the driving spirit and thrill of discovery that all explorers throughout history have possessed. When the delays with the various trial runs take the expedition one month past its scheduled dive date and the seas become almost unmanageable for the crew, the sense of deflation that all their hard work might come to naught is palpable. Since Cameron is obviously alive and well and working on his next sequel to Avatar, the directors of Deepsea Challenge don’t push the very real danger inherent in this expedition possibly as much as they could have. They do have one of the original Mariana Trench explorers Don Walsh present as advisor and as a torch-passer to Cameron since he is the first person to go there since Walsh and Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard did it in 1960 on a mission that didn’t bring back much useful information due to the limits of the technology of the era. Still, it’s a heartening scientific adventure captured well with 3D cameras that do give the viewer a “you are there” sensation at any given moment.


Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: 4/5

The film is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is offered in 1080p using the MVC/AVC codec. Depending on the vintage of the footage being shown, sharpness can very from slightly soft to stunningly lifelike. Color is dazzlingly rich and solid with lifelike skin tones. Contrast has been expertly dialed in and consistently applied while black levels are very impressive. The movie has been divided into 12 chapters.There is quite excellent use of 3D in the presentation with a sense of depth underneath the surface of the water particularly impressive, aided by the various inhabitants of the seas that float by sometimes very closely to the camera. The only forward projections are in a CGI design and the actual realization of a robotic arm which swings out to within inches of the viewer’s face during a couple of impressive moments, but most of the 3D use here is of the depth and object placement variety. There is no crosstalk at all present here.



Audio Rating: 4.5/5

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound mix is really outstanding with crashing surf, exploding volcanoes, and odd bumps, cracks, and gurgles while underwater that seem uncomfortably close and give an immediacy to the film that is quite invigorating. Cameron’s narration and the other members of the crew have all been recorded professionally with their voices placed in the center channel. Music by Ricky Edwards, Brett Aplin, and Amy Bastow is more subdued than one might expect but gets a decent placement in the fronts and rears.


Special Features Rating: 2/5

The Deepest Point on Earth (3:32, HD): basically a brief promotional featurette for the movie describing its content and focus.An Alien World (2:13, HD): James Cameron describes in a few words his feelings about what he saw and what his expedition accomplished.Theatrical Trailer (2:46, HD)Promo Trailers (HD): Elsa & Fred, Persecuted, Stonehurst Asylum.


Overall Rating: 3.5/5

While not quite the gripping experience of Ghosts of the Abyss, Deepsea Challenge 3D is still a historically important and quite interesting undersea expedition, and the use of 3D brings the voyage right into the viewer’s home theater and makes it the primary reason for watching this disc. The 2D and 3D versions of the film are on the same Blu-ray disc with the bonuses in 2D only.


Reviewed By: Matt Hough


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