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Ghosts of the Abyss

EMAILPRINTWalt Disney Pictures

Ghosts of the Abyss reviews
67
8.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 6 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Documentary

Written by:

Directed by: James Cameron

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 11, 2003
DVD: April 27, 2004

Running Time: 59 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Lewis Abernathy, Dr. Lori Johnston, Don Lynch, Ken Marschall, Bill Paxton, Charles Pellegrino, and Tava Smiley

In this immersive 3-D adventure presented in IMAX format, James Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration -- the legendary wreck of the Titanic.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's a unique trip that flirts with hokeyness at the surface but that grows more compelling, awe-inspiring, and tragic the deeper you go.

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91

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

A delectable must-see.

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90

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The experience couldn't be more realistic, though Cameron also superimposes imagery of passengers recalling the fateful night, to haunting effect.

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90

Film Threat Kevin Carr

Part of what makes this film a must-see for Titanic fans is that it truly puts you closer to the wreckage than anyone else can get.

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88

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Despite over-ripe narration and an understandable urge to cram too much in, Ghosts of the Abyss is a thrilling documentary.

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88

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An enthralling 3-D IMAX documentary.

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83

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Cameron wants to take the audience ''back to 'Titanic,''' but the journey's magic is hemmed in, paradoxically, by the transcendence of his previous effort; surely he must know that a lot of us never left.

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80

Variety Robert Koehler

Though quite routine on the logistics of deep-sea exploring, pic develops a visual style as it replays the events of the sinking that some viewers may find more visually exciting and satisfying than what Cameron staged in his original mega-blockbuster.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The film's underwater views are breathtaking, as are its drawings and photographs of the Titanic's original splendor.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Not just a 3-D novelty to amuse school groups, but also a memorial.

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75

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

The more you know about the 1912 tragedy, the more you will appreciate the sights of Ghosts of the Abyss.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

If Cameron wants to be a pioneer instead of a retro hobbyist, he should obviously use Maxivision 48, which provides a picture of such startling clarity that it appears to be 3-D in the sense that the screen seems to open a transparent window on reality. Ghosts of the Abyss would have been incomparably more powerful in the process.

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75

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Though younger fans of Cameron's 1997 blockbuster may be a little disappointed at the lack of, well, Leo, Cameron persuades us to share his obsession with the ship's history.

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70

The New York Times Dave Kehr

Whether he's working in nonfiction or science fiction, Mr. Cameron remains an artist of great instinctive power. In Ghosts of the Abyss, he uses every means of probing that modern science has put at his disposal -- electronic, mechanical, sonic -- only to find that the tragic reality of the Titanic, its myths and its meanings, remain tantalizingly beyond his reach.

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67

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

It’s best to situate yourself in the middle of the row; a seat at the end will most likely leave you feeling cross-eyed for an hour.

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60

TV Guide Angel Cohn

For all the technical wizardry that went into making the film, Paxton's reflections on the human tragedies of the Titanic and the terrorist attack of Sept. 11th, 2001, which took place while the crew was out at sea, provide one of the film's most haunting moments.

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60

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The 3-D footage of Titanic does speak volumes, and sometimes the sheer fussiness of all the ghosts and archival images get in the way. As huge as the Imax screen is, when six different images vie for one's attention, it looks cluttered.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Carla Meyer

Occasionally exciting but carefully controlled.

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50

Chicago Tribune Kevin M. Williams

Ultimately, this talking dog don't hunt.

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50

LA Weekly Mark Olsen

During the all-important underwater sequences, the three-dimensional effects are surprisingly muted.

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50

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

If only there'd been a chance to contemplate the legend in blessed silence.

50

Village Voice Edward Crouse

"Check this out, bro," James Cameron says as he returns to the site of the real Titanic, armed with robots, a 3-D Imax camera, and the same colossal hubris that necessitated a call for silence as he accepted his Oscar on behalf of those who perished.

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40

Salon.com Charles Taylor

James Cameron disgraces those who died on the Titanic -- again.

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40

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

The 3D, effective but not yet totally awesome, masks a world of sins: Ghosts can be an awfully tedious voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Valerie B gave it a9:
Loved it! Really liked having a civilians (Bill Paxton) point of view in comparison to the scientists. It made me almost feel like I was there too seeing his reactions!

michael l. gave it a5:
Not impressed at all, direspectful having the will smith song playing because they rescued the other robot, hello over 1500 people died.

Shane R. gave it a 10:
Ghost Of The Abyss was the best Titanic documentary I have seen In a long time and Im very happy that James Camron put this together so people can see the Titanic up close and personal the Titanic may be desceased and sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean the Titanic's legend and legacy will live on forever...

Matt S. gave it a 9:
Very good visual effects that make the documentary much more interesting.

Tony L. gave it a 7:
I can never get enough of the "Titanic" but having Bill Paxton due the narration was a mistake. He comes across as "Gober" who is taking a stroll through Marine World. There should have more quiet time throughout the movie.

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