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Aliens of the Deep
EMAILPRINTBuena Vista Pictures
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 11 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by:
Directed by:
James Cameron
Steven Quale
Release Date:
Theatrical: January 28, 2005
DVD: November 1, 2005
Running Time: 47 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: G for General Audiences
Starring James Cameron, Pamela Conrad, Djanna Figueroa, Kevin Hand, Loretta Hidalgo, and Maya Tolstoy
Inspired by concepts from the field of astrobiology - the study of life on other worlds - this documentary explores the idea that the bizarre creatures living in the extreme environments found on the ocean floor might provide a blueprint for what life is like elsewhere in the universe. (Disney)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Aliens Avatar Ghosts of the Abyss Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day The Abyss Titanic True Lies
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site All Films Considered: James Cameron
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...
The New York Times Stephen Holden
A visual adventure worthy of that much degraded adjective, awesome.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Gorgeous as the underwater life-forms are, the excitement of Aliens of the Deep comes from that most old-school, low-tech of elements: real human beings.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Evolution aside, there are some wonderful images in Aliens of the Deep, even if the crew members say how much they love their jobs about six times too often.
Read Full Review >Premiere Peter Debruge
As science gives way to science fiction, the movie loses its way, squandering time that might better be spent exploring the ocean's floor, where these alien life forms already among us must be seen to be believed.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
The latest in a series of entertaining IMAX underwater documentaries.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Gene Seymour
Though Aliens of the Deep flirts with Zissou-Murray's divine madness, Cameron's vision seems somehow cozier. No wonder he's not yet ready for dry dock.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder
All in all, it's a fascinating, kid-friendly journey.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
After dazzling us with its undersea discoveries, "Aliens" turns downright silly at the end, with a fantasy sequence set in a presumed ocean on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Fans of Arthur C. Clarke may be pleased, but fans of serious biology may bust out laughing at the goofily rendered aliens who show up.
Read Full Review >Empire Chris Hewitt
The final shot, in particular, is awesome, and confirms that the sooner Cameron gets back to making proper movies, instead of Boys’ Own diversions, the better.
Read Full Review >Variety Ronnie Scheib
Documentary's visual wonders and well-pitched enthusiasm happily outstrip its clunkily ingenuous ain't-science-fun narrative.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
An equally discomfiting mix of popular science and ballyhoo, serves up amazing images of the bizarre life that flourishes in the deepest ocean depths.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
The science is compelling, though Cameron and codirector Steven Quale undermine the movie's scholarship with a silly sci-fi ending.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.6 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Peter J. gave it a6:
I was bored out of my mind throughout this movie. I understand they had to make the movie longer, but the commentarywas amazingly boring.
Brittany D. gave it a9:
Pretty good. The 3-D is amazing and the sea creatures are cool. the worst part is that the scientists just keep blabering and dont show enough of the life forms. It killed 45 minutes though. Go see it! Its kinda fun and youll learn more about our planet. ^_^
Ro H. gave it a2:
A very silly way to deal with awesome material. Let's hear scientists ooh and ahh like idiots. Let's pretend ET lives underwater in a make believe ocean city. If you want to see a beautfiul film about the ocean depths, look for the IMAX movie exploring why the coral reefs are dying. Sorry I don't have the name.
Frank B. gave it a1:
A 10 for five minutes a great footage, a minus 10 for the rest of the movie. There is no focus. Where are we? What are we looking at? What's the point? And what's with the kid's cartoon alien characters at the end of the movie.
Brian E. gave it a10:
Aliens of the Deep is a new James Cameron movie released in a 3-D IMAX format, limiting it to a few theaters capable of that projection. And its short, about 47 minutes. Still those minutes pack a lot. Its about scientists, astronomers and marine biologists alike, being submerged to the oceans darkest depths and shining light to life forms and geology probably never before seen. And its again, in 3D, so floating plankton and bubbles and tiny crawling crabs seem to be inches from your eyes. The worlds unseen monsters, albeit usually tiny, run from, ignore, or are attracted to the foreign light of the explorers pods. Between the technology and the beasts, its absolutely incredible. Were reminded, and the later Dec 26 tsunami brings home the point, what a unsettled planet this is, showing what water that cant boil due to pressure does. Later, the film points out in scientists best guesses, there is no life without water, and our best space exploration odds of finding life are seeking astral bodies with water. And it projects what those future explorations might involve. Its a fantastic film I cant recommend enough. Whats really sad about this movie, though, is due to its 3D IMAX format, itll probably be seen by a tiny fraction of people that might have checked out, "Bootycall" instead. 3D or not, this film should be in every school curriculum. Check it out. You owe it to yourself to see what some scientists say about the world you live in. You wont be sorry, I promise you that. O. Rated G.
Beverly K. gave it a1:
6 great shots of unusual sea creatures does not make a movie. The science was often times wrong. The story was boring. The 6 shots were great.
Seamus F. gave it a7:
The underwater sequences are unreal, although you may tire of hearing people say, "Wow! Beautiful!" over and over again. Although this would be fascinating on its own, Cameron feels the need to apply "astrobiology" (a field that's almost entirely speculative) to everything, including some ridiculous alien CGI. But the deep-sea wildlife are amazing.
