Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This guy was in a unique position to get an early glimpse of this film, and I have to say... I’m curious. I’m always curious if James Cameron is directing. I hope it’s just a warm-up for his live-action anime, the feature he plans to shoot next year. That would rule...
Hi Harry,
I've seen the bits and pieces you've posted on Ghosts of the Abyss, and i had the chance yesterday to watch James Cameron's new underwater IMAX film and i thought i'd offer my thoughts on it.
I'll jump right in and say that the film is very good, a whole lot more interesting than many previous IMAX films, and especially an earlier IMAX attempt at exploring the phenomenon of Titantic, 'Titanica'. Most of the credit for this muct go to James Cameron who has attempted to craft an intelligent story around the subject, and injecting visual touches that are usually never seen in IMAX films (partly due to the limits of IMAX cameras in terms of panning, zooming etc).
The film opens with a very brief introduction to the major players involved in the dive to the Titanic, including Bill Paxton and a couple of the people I recognised from the 35mm Titanic, notably the fat, pony-tailed guy. This scene setting quickly gives way to the first of many dives, where 2 'Mir' submarines adapted to include the IMAX cameras and ROV's (the remote controlled mini subs that delve into the bowels of the ships) descend 12,000 feet to the sea bed. Every scene, we learn from Cameron (heard in the trailer too) is spontaneous, 'We have no script, we don't knwo what we're gonna find' etc., however, the scenes with Paxton inside the sub seem forced and pre-planned, as if Cameron has told him to swallow hard when the escape hatch is sealed, or ask lots of worried questions about oxygen levels, engine noises etc. These grumbles aside, the 3D really comes into its own when they reach the ship for the first time. The 3D is much subtler than in other 3D films which really can make you feel queazy, but it allows the true size and scale of the ship to hit home, as the sub is dwarfed by the hull/bow (sorry my nautical knowledge is rubbish, but i mean the front).
The first time the ship comes into view from the virtually black sea made the hairs on my arms stood on end, showing Cameron obviously hasn't lost the ability to come up with the odd visual gem. There are also scenes also of him plotting just what shots he wants using a scale model, barking his orders to where he wants the light shone, emphasising his perfectionist streak. The superimposed sections where period costumed actors portray the Titanic's crew and passengers also work in a strange way, despite my major misgivings after watching the trailer. The more than help give you an eerie sense of place, especially when you see the bridge or the crows nest from where the iceberg would have first been sighted from. The tiny little facts are often the most amazing, such as a caraff and glass for water still standing perfectly on a shelf or a first class passengers hat still lying neatly on top of a wardrobe.
The film also has its own (un-planned) section of tension and adventure when one of the ROV's gets stuck and has to be abandoned inside the boat, only for Cameron to decide on a rescue mission to bring it back using a grappling hook and a tow. This section actually becomes more significant when one of the sub pilots announces the date of the rescue mission - 9/11, and the fact that they were completely unaware of the events until they reached the surface intent on celebrating their success. Its scenes like this that elevate the film to a level not seen before with IMAX, and so the credit must go to Cameron for having the guts to include it, as people will undoubtably think its a bit mauqish to draw comparisons.
So far its all been positives, so on with the negatives. Bill Paxton's narration is just too pompous. Whilst a voiceover that didn't draw attention to the scale of this project would seem stupid, he takes virtually every opportunity to tell us how significant the mission is, how many people died, how many acts of heroism there were, how small he feels when he sees the Titanic - ok Bill, we get the picture! Less is more in future, the pictures speak for themselves.
That said, its just the right length, there's a stack of educational bits to pick up on, and the ending is just the right side of sentimental without veering into sickly territory. Hopefully this will be the film to really drive home what IMAX can do, and possibly more recognised names will try their hand with the IMAX cameras, especially now Rodriguez is using them for Spy Kids 3.
People will think i'm a plant as this review is really positive, but it is a really involving, intelligently made piece of work, just lose half the voiceover.
If you want to use this, please call me Lenny Davis.
Nice work, Lenny. I’ll definitely be checking this out when it’s released.
"Moriarty" out.
