The
Deepsea challenger submersible is a marvel of engineering. It can withstand the
pressure diving to the lower depths of the Mariana Trench, while still
containing James Cameron’s ego. The Oscar winning filmmaker follows his passion
to the remotest corner of the ocean floor in John Bruno, Ray Quint, and the
late Andrew Wight’s Deepsea Challenge 3D (trailer here), which opens this
Friday nationwide.
To
avoid confusion, the film is title Deepsea
Challenge 3D, the expedition is the “Deepsea Challenge” and the craft is
named “Deepsea Challenger.” Clearly, all the inventiveness was saved for the
engineering. To a large extent, all three were made possible by Titanic and Avatar. Cameron was no mere figurehead attached to the project. He
cut checks and pilots the Deepsea Challenger during its historic dive, which is
not so crazy given his short stature and long enthusiasm. However, he comes
across as quite the demanding taskmaster during the extensive development
process. Tragically, the entire project is temporarily called into question
when Wight and underwater cameraman Mike duGray perish in a helicopter accident.
You
cannot say Cameron never put his money or the rest of his body where his mouth
is. In fact, one gets the sense his wife, former model and actress Suzy Amis
would just as soon see him collect vintage cars, like Leno. Still, Cameron’s
evangelical zeal for deep sea exploration is admirable. In fact, the best
sequences in Challenge 3D revolve
around the research vessel Trieste’s previous voyage to the depths of the
Mariana in 1953. Subsequently overshadowed by the Moon landing and Jacques
Cousteau, the Trieste fired young Cameron’s imagination, directly inspiring The Abyss.
Strictly
speaking, the 3D adds very little to the viewing experience, even when the
mission is underway. On the other hand, it is so unlikely most viewers will
ever find themselves exploring the Mariana Trench, it makes sense to replicate
the experience as fully as possible, much like the Chauvet Cave in Werner
Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Of
course, it also necessarily comes with 3D pricing, which many audience members
may not believe is warranted for a film produced very much in the style of a National Geographic television special.
