Ghosts of the Abyss 3D Blu-ray Review
MOVIE REVIEW
Ghosts of the Abyss is a 2003 documentary following James Cameron, director of Titanic, and actor Bill Paxton (God rest his soul), one of the actors in Titanic, as they go down to the bottom of the ocean to explore the remains of, you guessed it, the Titanic. The film gives off intriguing facts about the Titanic itself and journey it takes to get to it while also delving into some of the deeper implications we can take from seeing the aftermath of one of histories greatest tragedies.
I know that synopsis of the film is quite brief and it probably make the movie sound quite banal. On a technical level, sure. You know exactly what you're headed in for going in. But as is the case with many documentaries of this sort, what makes it special is the experience it takes you on. Any film can just show you the remains of the Titanic and expect you to be in awe. But there is a craft to making a great documentary, and James Cameron especially knows this. The music, the camera shots, the knowledge it gives you about the Titanic that you probably didn't know before as the little machines move through the ship, the dramatic re-enactments, the realism from the interactions between the crew, and their thoughtful reflections upon life and death that 2,300 people had to face all the way back on that fateful night. It's all there working to bring you a sense of wonder to this expedition that's already conceptually captivating.
With that out of the way, though, let's get to what this documentary is probably most known for. And if you've seen the 3D Blu-ray cover, you've probably seen the quote: "Ghosts of the Abyss picks up where TITANIC left off." I don't think I could phrase it any better myself. Ignoring that the film itself is essentially the first 10 minutes of Titanic, just stretched out to feature length and in 3D (up until Titanic got itself a 3D conversion in 2012), it also has the same crew behind as Titanic, as once again, the 3D Blu-ray cover would have you know with the line "A James Cameron Film." That's probably why I find it a little weird to see that Ghosts of the Abyss came from Walt Disney of all people. Fortunately, this movie isn't just constantly pointing back to the 1997 film. It does cover many of the ideas and facts presented in it. But here, you can look at them through a more accurate and realistic light. You're allowed to see these real fascinating areas of the Titanic and think about the life and death decisions its passengers and crew encountered. It's good enough stuff on its own. But if you've seen the 1997 movie, you can also start to see how these things became part of Cameron's thought process when making "Titanic," and it adds on an extra layer of appreciation to that film's dedication to historical accuracy on top of being an engaging tale about a fictional couple. Still, it's quite surreal to watch Ghosts of the Abyss right after Titanic and see the wreckage and scenery inside of it for yourself with the knowledge all of it is real, and come in knowing the footage is taken from the same folks who made a film that spared no expense on trying to make itself look real and immersive. But honestly, there's probably no one who owes themselves more to making this movie than Cameron and Paxton.
Of course, most arguably the most poignant aspect about Ghosts of the Abyss isn't even the Titanic disaster, but the fact that while Cameron and crew were exploring it, 9/11 happened. Even to this day, that still feels too improbable to believe. But none the less, it happened. I imagine September 11 for these people to be like a weird time-travel phenomenon, just getting done with exploring one disaster and coming back to the present just to find themselves having been present when another one happens almost a century later. I know this is a documentary without a real script to abide by. But in a strange way, the moment near the end of the film where the crew gets up out of the ocean and is informed about what happened seems to be where the heart of the movie lies. Tragedy can really strike at any place at any time, and affect almost anybody. And while tragedy might not affect most of us, it's still our job to pay our respects to the dead and to use their decisions to examine who we are as people and how we'd react in their shoes. It's all pretty heavy stuff, for sure. But call it a coincidence or not, I think in the end, it elevates Ghosts of the Abyss into something more than just a fancy slideshow of fancy images (and some very fancy images at that).
OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5
3D REVIEW
On a more light-hearted note, let's take about some of those fancy images. Ghosts of the Abyss was not only made to be a follow-up of Titanic, but it was also the film that got Cameron started on his whole 3D craze which would eventually fully manifest to the general public in Avatar. This IMAX 3D venture came out in the era where 3D was still pretty niche, only really applying to films like The Polar Express, Beowulf, Meet the Robinsons, and various IMAX documentaries. The good news is that because this market was so niche and the few people who actually saw 3D films noticed a slight up-charge for every ticket, the movies themselves would actively try to justify itself by making the 3D top-notch. And with Ghosts of the Abyss coming from none other than James Cameron, the man who wants nothing more than to immerse us in his works, you can bet it'll be a memorable 3D experience.
Starting off the film is a strong 3D shot where the camera zooms into a viewfinder that gives us a slideshow of 3D images of sets on the Titanic. The image transitions are fun 3D view in and of themselves. But the actual 3D pictures are quite mesmerizing, especially the ones on the deck or in the grand staircase which reminded me of similar views in actual Titanic movie when it got its 3D conversion. This technique doesn't just show up at the beginning, but also occurs several times throughout the film. Already, we get an understanding that 3D is going to be integral to the film, and we haven't even gotten on the boat yet.
Once the film moves to the boat, though, you start to notice the 3D on display is very strong. We get some good hallway and various room shots that stretch the 3D out very far and help the presence of people to stick out all the more. There's even a neat little shot involves a mirror that feels like they're just rubbing the 3D effect in. It especially works on the outside of the boat when you're looking off into the vast ocean, looking up to the surface of the ocean when they're putting submarines in the water, or when the camera is just moving around deck looking at the various technical equipment. One of the latter moments includes a robotic arm and feels especially made for the children in the audience. And in general, the shots of the boats on the water, with the small waves moving up and down look great in 3D and even remind of the scenes of the Orca in the 3D conversion of Jaws a couple of years ago. Except here, this is a native 3D presentation and proud of it.
But of course, the whole reason for the 3D being here in the first place is for the Titanic. And I'm pleased to mention here that the 3D presentation here is every bit as mesmerizing and captivating as you'd expect. You remember how earlier I said the film feels like the first 10 minutes of Titanic stretched to feature length? Well, if you read my 3D review of Titanic from last year, you'd know how I thought that early exploration of the wreckage of Titanic was one of the movie's real 3D highlights. In it, I made the following observations that hold true even to this film: "Dust particles float right off the screen, the shape and size of Titanic is brought to life, and the minor details much the algae, the furniture, and the interior of the Titanic are all much more interesting to see in the third dimension. Even with the shots involving the crew in their submersible, the size and details of the windows, the equipment, and the people all help make for a claustrophobic experience." Picture all of that, but imagine even stronger 3D and the native 3D bringing to fruition not just all the little details on the ship, but also its size and scope. You can clearly tell why 3D was a necessity in the process of this film. In the case of Ghosts of the Abyss, I do have to say that the almost extreme depth on display probably doesn't create a very claustrophobic feel. But it does put you up in the submersible none the less beside the crew. To an even greater extent, though, it puts you up in front of Titanic in all its sunken glory. And it also features ghosts of people walking on the environment re-enacting what they did on that fateful night, which not only looks neat in 3D, but also adds to the poignancy of the experience. In 3D, Ghosts of the Abyss doesn't just let you see the ship, it makes you feel you're right up next to it, in it, besides the passengers who tragically lost their lives on that ship.
Besides just the obvious excellently shot footage of the Titanic, the film also manages to use 3D in some other creative ways. For one, scenes that weren't filmed in 3D will often show up in small rectangles in front of footage of the Titanic that is shot in 3D. And when they include multiple 2D scenes playing simultaneously, they will even sometimes stack the scenes on top of one another making for an interesting layering effect. But that's not the full extent they use of 3D screens within the screen. This is gonna be a little difficult to describe, so just bear with me. Occasionally, the 3D footage in the background features something the scene needs to focus on like a robotic drone, but the drone is headed into somewhere where the 3D cameras can't get enough good detail. So someone in a nearby submersible will get the footage they need, but in 2D, and in post, they stitch the 2D footage over the 3D footage once the 3D footage stops being useful (it occurs at the very beginning of the video), at least in relation to the subject of the scene. I find it a neat little bit of 3D that whether intentionally or not, makes for a nice 3D view.
There are also some moments in the film where the cameras can't quite capture the full interior of a room in the Titanic. So for the audience to follow along, they will create 3D CGI rendered environments that encapsulate where the cameras are. One scene in particular that I think utilizes this to its full advantage (I couldn't find footage of the scene on YouTube, and photos wouldn't do it justice. So here's a behind the scenes look at the incident and jump to 4:57 for snippets of the scene) is when they send out a rescue mission to collect a robotic drone named Elwood after it lost power with another drone named Jake. They use the 3D CGI environment to show you where the drone were and how they were able to get out all the while using the aforementioned multiple 2D screens effect to show the 2D camera footage from Jake during the rescue and crew back in the submersibles controlling Jake. As good as that scene was, I think the scene that best utilized 2D images in a 3D environment was in one sequence near the end of the film where they had pictures of hundreds of Titanic passengers moving back into the screen all the while footage of the Titanic sinking is playing in the background (somehow, the ship's exterior shots are stronger here than they are in the 3D conversion of Titanic). Once again, it managed to use 3D in a way that drew just enough attention to itself to make worthwhile while also adding an extra layer of reverence to the scene.
With all my praise out of the way, there are a couple of minor issues I ought to bring up to viewers looking to purchase the film. Firstly, as strong as the 3D is, there are some scenes in which it can be a little hard on the eyes. This isn't exactly Spy Kids 3-D level of eye-frying. In fact, it's not even in the same realm as Cave of Forgotten Dreams. It walks a pretty fine line between making the 3D as deep as possible and it causing some strain. Thankfully, for me at least, it leans more towards the former. But if you have weak eyes, I would advise you to take heed. Also, and this isn't exactly a health problem but more so a 3D error, whenever the "ghosts" walk on the deck of the ship, they usually appear to be going through the floor (ala Spy Kids 3-D). It's not a pervasive issue, but it might be a bit distracting to some viewers.
But those small caveats aside, I still say Ghosts of the Abyss is a must for 3D viewers. It accomplishes what Titanic's 3D conversion does, setting you on the ship to stand in awe of its size and masterwork, but it does it in 1 hour instead of 3 and doesn't get bogged down by relationship drama which limits the usage of 3D. Sure, the wondrous imagery of the Titanic is still wondrous in 2D. But if you truly want to experience it the way Camera intends, how can you not see it in 3D? In fact, personally, this is one of those few films I'd love to see get re-released in IMAX 3D simply because of the incredible scale. If that ever is the case one day, however unlikely it'd be, I'd be first in line to see it. As is, though, it's still an absolute must buy for 3D and Titanic enthusiasts.
3D RATING: EXCELLENT
OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D
High Def Digest's Review: https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/6551/ghosts_abyss_3d.html
Tommy Boy 3D's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKGqZwlRnhc
Tommy Boy 3D's Re-review for the Titan submersible incident (gotta respect that): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxsYp1Jmdh0
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ghosts of the Abyss, whether you look at it as a Titanic bonus feature or a stand alone documentary about some men who decide to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, is an awe-inspiring experience, taking you down to see the remains of one of the most tragic man-made disasters in history. And in 3D, it's made even more marvelous. You can't help but approach it with both an adventurous spirit and a bit of poignancy as you realize just how things like this serve to remind us not just of nature's dominance over man's bad decisions, but also help us to look inside of ourselves to see how we can become better people as we look at what others have done in the worst of circumstances. I said it before with Cave of Forgotten Dreams and I'll say it again here, any documentary can just tell you things, but the great ones make you think. And Ghosts of the Abyss certainly makes you think even as it entices you with its captivating 3D imagery. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Titanic, or anyone who just plumb loves a good 3D movie. Now, all I hope is that James Cameron's other IMAX 3D documentary, Aliens of the Deep gets released onto 3D Blu-ray some way or another. I know it's not likely or anything, but still. With Avatar: The Way of Water getting a 3D Blu-ray release despite the format being on life support as of now, maybe there's a glimmer of hope James can work something out with Disney.
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