Deep Sea 3D (2006)

Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.This film is really amazing, and not just because of the 3-D. The underwater cinematography was absolutely brilliant. This Imax movie shows many odd creatures and the way they live. The 3-D in this thing is really amazing. The fish look like their right in front of your face and normal size. And the great thing about this film is that even without the 3-D, it's still an excellent documentary on the fascinating life found in the sea. The narration was really interestingly written and performed (with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet switching off). The sound effects were great and the wonderful musical score from Danny Elfman fit so well. If you want to see life underwater without actually getting near the creatures, this is about the closest you will come.My rating: **** out of ****. 50 mins.

The 40 minute IMAX experience makes it's way to DVD without any additions, minus the 3D glasses. For better or worse what home viewers are still left with remains nothing short of stunning the entire stretch of time. Against all marketing intuitions, the short documentary still remains absolutely captivating from the first frame with it's charming portrayal of some of the ocean's less represented characters. Aided by the eerie luminescence of Danny Elfman's score and playful narration from Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Deep Sea 3D might pale in comparison to the original experience but for anyone even half-interested in the revelations of nature, particularly occurring in the alternate universes miles below us, the spectacular, too-beautiful-to-be-real visuals present will remain nothing short of miraculous with each subsequent viewing.

Deep Sea 3D is a stunning insight in to an underwater world only a few have had the opportunity to view first hand.From the opening sequence when a wave rushes towards the audience momentarily engulfing us in the ocean, the filmmakers make full use of the IMAX format. A jelly fish field appears to fill the whole theatre, a shark powers towards us, predators pounce from behind rocks and devour their prey. It is a beautifully captured under sea feast for the eyes.Our ears on the other hand, are not given the same treatment. The film is narrated by Hollywood stars Jonny Depp and Kate Winslet. Both sound so ridiculous it positively spoils the enjoyment of the visuals. Depp sounds slightly bored whilst Winslet sounds as if she is reading a bedtime story to the village idiot. I was shocked that an actress of her status could have pitched her performance so wrongly. The script is fairly silly and contains very little depth. The soundtrack is filled with strange, unrealistic sound effects which I assume are meant to be funny but in fact detract attention from the material which should have been allowed to speak for itself. Danny Elfman has provided an excellent score which gives plenty of impact to the ups and downs of life under the sea, when it is allowed to play out without the silly bubble sounds or crayfish footfalls which pepper film.The film is a technical marvel but with it's childish script, annoying narration and misplaced sound effects it cannot be taken seriously.

Deep Sea is the latest joy to be released in IMAX but part of its excellence comes, as so often, from being presented in IMAX 3D. All films should be released in this format, it's the true way forward for cinema. Even The Polar Express was good in IMAX!Deep Sea is a 40 minute documentary feature that makes the most of its 3D. From the opening shot of a wave headed straight out of the screen to jellyfish fields, giant sea turtles and octopus and a legion of fish varieties and stunning underwater seascapes it does present the world it shows in rarely seen way.It is only let down by the talking down, over-humanisation of the narration aimed at the kids in the audience, especially from Kate Winslet. Johnny Deppp works better but Winslet sounds like a school-marm talking to a class of four year olds. And the narration has an annoying habit, ala March Of The Penguins, of endowing the animals with human traits to make them easier to associate with for childish minds.David Attenborough and the BBC make better documentaries as a whole production but you can't fault Deep Sea 3D's visuals and the immersion experience the IMAX format provides. See it for the experience. It is like nothing you've experienced before, the narration really is only a minor annoyance.