Aliens of the Deep (2005)
70%RT Audience Score: 49%
Awards & Nominations: NA
An amazing array of images from beneath the sea
Aliens of the Deep is like a sci-fi movie, but it’s real! James Cameron takes us on a journey to the depths of the ocean where we get to see some of the most bizarre and fascinating creatures on Earth. The 3-D technology makes it feel like you’re swimming right alongside them. Sure, the commentary can be a bit over-the-top, but who cares when you’re watching a giant squid? It’s like Avatar, but without the blue people.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, The Coppola Company, American Zoetrope
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Sonics-DDP
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, James Cameron, Steven Quale, Andrew Wight, G, underwater, sea creatures, hypothermal vents, alien planets, exploration, science, IMAX, 3D, Pamela Conrad, Djanna Figueroa, Kevin Peter Hand, Loretta Hidalgo, Maya Tolstoy, box office, gross USA, $9.0M, runtime 47m, reviewed by Christy Lemire, Trevor Johnston, Roger Moore, David Hiltbrand, Brian Thomas, Peter Debruge, Barbara Shulgasser, James Mottram, Urban Cinefile Critics, Jim Lane, Joe Lozito, genre, MPAA rating, producer, director, writer, actor, budget, box office performance, critic reviews, documentary film, ocean exploration, deep sea, marine biology, science fiction, underwater photography, marine life, oceanography, underwater exploration, oceanic research, oceanic life, oceanic environment, underwater creatures, underwater world, underwater adventure, underwater documentary, underwater cinematography, underwater technology, underwater research, underwater expedition, underwater science, underwater discovery, underwater exploration documentary, underwater exploration film, underwater exploration movie, underwater exploration adventure, underwater exploration science, underwater exploration IMAX, underwater exploration 3D, underwater exploration cinema, underwater exploration box office
Worldwide gross: $12,775,590
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $19,469,786
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,726
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,123,205
US/Canada gross: $8,968,684
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,668,125
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,517
US/Canada opening weekend: $479,368
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $730,549
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,315
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Pamela Conrad – Self
Djanna Figueroa – Self
Kevin Peter Hand – Self
Loretta Hidalgo – Self
Maya Tolstoy – Self
Director(s)
James Cameron, Steven Quale
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
James Cameron, Andrew Wight
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (10)
Yes, the work they’re doing is mind-boggling and important, but sometimes the images alone are more than capable of speaking for themselves.
December 11, 2009
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
That IMAX 3-D cameras have plunged so deep to record an often bizarre array of sea creatures undoubtedly delivers a certain ‘wow’ factor, but the accompanying commentary is heavier on breathless excitement than solid fact.
June 24, 2006
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A master showman’s large-format documentary, a movie with great images, great special effects and the sheen of Hollywood often missing in these museum or science-center movies.
December 9, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The experience is so immediate and immersive that you actually feel as if you are swimming with the krill.
April 1, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
David Hiltbrand
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Here we know only that Cameron and his bright-eyed young scientists (who take turns narrating) are heading to the deeper parts of the Atlantic and Pacific to observe the environment and life-forms down there.
February 20, 2005 | Rating: 2/4
Brian Thomas
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The first two-thirds of Aliens of the Deep offer a fascinating peek into earth’s mysteries.
February 1, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Debruge
Premiere Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Docu about underwater creatures has stunning visuals.
June 1, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
A fascinating science lesson for anyone interested in either deep-sea — or outer space — exploration.
December 11, 2009
James Mottram
Film4
It’s not usual for documentaries to ingest the sci-fi genre, but in this case it’s an eye pleasing and mind boggling excursion, beautifully realised and seamlessly integrated into the film.
October 18, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
The far more interesting stuff is back here at the bottom of the sea.
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Once you get used to the “awesome” and “wow”-heavy dialogue, James Cameron’s excursion into both 3-D technology and deep ocean trenches delivers some fascinating footage.
December 27, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Even if these plants and animals did not exist, we may have already invented them, courtesy of those sci fi special effects magicians working overtime for the past decades.
March 23, 2007
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press…
Plot
James Cameron journeys to some of the Earth’s deepest, most extreme and unknown environments in search of the strange and alien creatures that live there. Joining him is a team of young NASA scientists and marine biologists who consider how these life forms represent life we may one day find in outer space not only on distant planets orbiting distant stars, but also within our own solar system. Aliens of the Deep is the result of expeditions to several hydrothermal vent sites in the Atlantic and the Pacific. These are violent volcanic regions where new planet is literally being born and where the interaction between ocean and molten rock creates plumes of super-heated, chemically-charged water that serve as oases for animals unlike anything ever discovered. Six-foot tall worms with blood-red plumes and no stomach, blind white crabs, and a biomass of shrimp capable of “seeing” heat all compete to find just the right location in the flow of the super-heated, life-giving water or to fry trying. Not dependent on sunlight (like all other life on earth), these ecosystems are as close to alien as anything ever imagined and provide one possible blueprint for the life that might exist beyond our world.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features James Cameron himself as one of the main cast members.
James-Cameron.jpg
