MPAA Rated – G
It’s 1:00 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right
| Ghosts of the Abyss Movie Stats & Links |
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| Starring: | James Cameron, Bill Paxton, and documentary crew. |
| MPAA Rated: | G |
| Released By: | Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment |
| Release Date: | September 11, 2012 |
| Kiddie Movie: | They might like Jake and Elwood. |
| Date Movie: | It’s not a snuggle movie, but if she likes a good documentary, watch it with her on the couch. |
| Gratuitous Sex: | Umm, no. |
| Gratuitous Violence: | Umm, no. |
| Action: | Some suspense. |
| Laughs: | It’s got some cute moments, especially the prank on James Cameron. |
| Memorable Scene: | Saving Elwood! |
| Memorable Quote: | Nothing stands out. |
| Directed By: | James Cameron |
| Cool Things about the DVDs: | The 3 Disc Blu-ray gives you the 3-D version, the standard Blu-ray, and a normal DVD. The extra featurettes are fun because they are kept short and sweet and to the point. |
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with “Ghosts of the Abyss.” I vaguely remember when it hit the theaters and being a fan of the movie “Titanic,” I thought it might be an interesting watch, but I never made it to the theater to catch it. With the chance to catch the documentary at home now that it’s been digitally remastered, I was bummed I didn’t have a 3-D TV to watch the Blu-ray 3-D version, but the standard Blu-ray was good enough to see some awesomeness of the Titanic, and combined with James Cameron’s telling stories and using his filmmaking genius to superimpose the real world on the decaying wreckage, he crafts a documentary that tells the last hours of the Titanic and of the world that was taking place on the ship before the disaster struck.
Gone is the fictitious story of Jack and Rose, and in its place are two new stars, Jake and Elwood, the little robot cameras used for much of the filming of the documentary, at least undersea, and even though one might think “Oh wow, I saw it all during “Titanic,” it is very interesting seeing the footage put together and at times, truly think about the actions of the passengers and crew on that fateful night. The documentary follows Jim and the crew, along with Bill Paxton who is along for the ride, on going deep into the Titanic with their little robot “stars,” and does a good job at showing many of the dangers involved in missions to the bottom of the sea. Sure, you won’t see tag lines of “Strap yourself in for wild ride!” for “Ghosts of the Titanic,” but there is some suspense and some action as well, as even I was nervous for the boys trying to secure the submersibles when the arrived back up top to find thrashing seas, and who won’t get a kick when Jim won’t leave Elwood behind as the little guy gets stuck inside Titanic.
Just as exciting as the documentary itself with its visual splendor, I was equally fascinated with the extras on the Blu-ray version, with the “Reflections from the Deep” featurette containing six, well-constructed stories of the “making” of the movie, none of which are too long to bore you but give enough to entertain, and who doesn’t like a good prank, and we find that even James Cameron isn’t exempt from some silly shenanigans.
“Ghosts of the Abyss” is a nice little documentary package about the Titanic. No, not about the movie, but about the ship, and for some beautiful visuals and interesting storytelling as James Cameron is able to do, it’s a solid 4 stars out of 5 for this little documentary, and the extra featurettes aren’t too shabby either.
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!