SummaryAs a boy, filmmaker James Cameron dreamed of a journey to the deepest part of the ocean. This film is the dramatic fulfillment of that dream. It chronicles Cameron’s solo dive to the depths of the Mariana Trench—nearly seven miles beneath the ocean’s surface—piloting a submersible he designed himself.
Directed By:John Bruno, Ray Quint, Andrew Wight
Written By:Andrew Wight, John Garvin
Deepsea Challenge 3D
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
User score
Generally Favorable
6.7
My Score
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
56% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
31% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Aug 8, 2014
83
Cameron, tall and lanky, fitted himself into the podlike chamber and dropped seven miles to the ocean floor. Although he didn’t encounter anything other than barrenness, he did bring back to the surface 100 new species of microorganisms. I hope National Geographic appreciates the effort.
Aug 1, 2014
80
It’s the trench imagery itself that’s the primary attraction here, and it proves more than worth the wait.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.7
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
29% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Aug 8, 2014
9
This is a really engrossing documentary where James Cameron is simply the main character, and not the director. The 3D is excellent and much of the photography amazing. The film gives a fascinating insight into Cameron's love of ocean exploration and his drive to reach new horizons as an explorer. I felt the claustrophobia and inherent riskiness of his vehicle as it descended 11 kms. The story behind the design and creation of his submersible is both interesting and impressive. Clearly he has no fear when it comes to the deep. He is a true visionary and a highly disciplined achiever. When I saw this film, he was present and answered audience questions afterwards - like his films and his other achievements, he is quite outstanding and really multi-dimensional.
May 30, 2016
3
I went into James Cameron's Deep Sea Challenge 3D with hopes of seeing some quality 3d footage of an underwater world that few have been able to see. If that's what you're hoping for from this movie, then for the love of god, don't watch it. Despite being named 'Deep Sea Challenge 3D' the movie is more about the challenge of working with James Cameron on a 3D deep sea movie rather than the sea itself. So I'll start with the good. The quality of the 3D was great, by far some of the best 3D I've seen in my home setup, on par with Avatar and Antman. Unfortunately pretty much all of the cameras in the movie were pointed at James Cameron while he was either talking about himself, or giving people ridiculously short and unnecessary deadlines to create drama. It seems like the most challenging part of the expedition was working with James Cameron, who resembles an Ahab like madman. There is also a good amount of footage of Cameron's wife talking about him throughout the movie. I'm not quite sure what her deal is, she could just be a hardcore vegan, or have been undergoing chemotherapy during the shooting of the movie, but whatever is wrong with her, I hope she gets the help she needs. If you want to see interesting underwater ocean environments never before seen by man, then don't watch this movie. If you want to see how **** crazy James Cameron is, and how his vast fortune makes other people put up with it in 3D, then this is the movie for you.
Aug 7, 2014
70
There's the expected, though no less astounding, profusion of life forms on the way down — Mr. Cameron calls them "critters" when he isn't using their scientific names — but the essence of the drama is the explorer's deepening solitude.
Aug 7, 2014
63
While Challenge makes for a pretty dull glimpse into the inner workings of the sea, it provides a fascinating look at the inner workings of Cameron, whose obsessive and demanding personality translated to movies that included "Titanic" and "Avatar."
Aug 7, 2014
50
It’s a movie about exploring the vast, “dark continent” of the ocean’s deepest places (to quote Cameron, who produced and narrates the film) that ends up feeling claustrophobic. Much of it was shot inside a metal sphere the size of a fitness ball.
Aug 7, 2014
40
Seeing unexplored parts of our natural world in state-of-the-art 3-D is great. Listening to James Cameron explain how wonderful he is, while we see all that, is not.
Aug 7, 2014
30
James Cameron upstages the ocean in Deepsea Challenge 3D, a shallow vanity project that invites us to join him in marveling at his own daring.
Jan 18, 2015
1
That was a one and half hour of a boring video raw that I have ever seen! More looks like the "film" was released just to compensate mr. Cameron's spendings. Nothing interesting at all. I would like to get my money back.
Production Company:
- National Geographic Entertainment
- Disruptive LA
- Earthship Productions
- Wight Expedition Films
- Beyond Productions
Release Date:Aug 8, 2014
Duration:1 h 30 m
Rating:PG
Tagline:Deep. Dangerous. Determined.
Website:
Awards
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards
• 4 Nominations
Camerimage
• 1 Nomination
Australian Screen Sound Guild
• 1 Nomination
