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Aliens of the Deep (2005)
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In an age where, on a whim, I can download the Cyndi Lauper song from THE GOONIES in a few seconds ("The Goonies R Good Enough," $.99 at iTunes, thank you very much), it can be deceptively easy to think the world holds few undiscovered secrets. James Cameron proves that thrillingly wrong in his new 3D IMAX film ALIENS OF THE DEEP, a 47-minute foray into the freezing depths of the Atlantic and Pacific to explore the Mid-Ocean ridge. Cameron and a team of NASA scientists and marine biologists search for alien creatures and examine hydrothermal vent sites, culling information and experience for future space exploration.
You have to hand it to Cameron: the guy has no fear. Like he did with both TITANIC and GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, where he personally went down to the ocean floor to film the real ship, here he perches himself inside tiny submersibles to zoom around places sunlight has never been, and to look at the vents continually spewing black smoke from the molten lava teeming violently beneath the earth's crust. As they hover over these vents, one scientist observes that if you get too close, the submersibles windows would melt.
ALIENS OF THE DEEP is visually stunning and genuinely thought-provoking. If certain moments are a little cheesy, particularly the end and the continual exclamations of how amazing everything is, the film makes up for it by being exceptionally made. It could also have spent more time on the creatures and less on how the team feels about their project, although that is in itself enjoyable to see. The team's enthusiasm is sincere, infectious, and occasionally effusive; when one member introduces herself by saying "I'm an explorer," you can imagine a kid in the audience lighting up. It's true – these are our modern-day Megellans and Cooks, setting off to see things no one else has seen and hoping to live to tell the tale.
Watching ALIENS OF THE DEEP, you might be reminded of the kid you used to be, the one who wanted to have the coolest job in the world, to have adventures, to laugh in the face of danger. (Or, like me, who watched THE GOONIES and wished those kids lived in her neighborhood.) This is an ideal film to watch with a child, or if you're fascinated by the ocean and space exploration.
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