The very minimal footage of the actual "AOTD" is "WOW" inducing, but you would expect much, much, more from a Documentary with this pedigree. We see maybe ten minutes of inspiring "real" footage but not enough to pad this really disappointing delivery of abyss dwellers.

There is much giddy talk that is really embarrassing and seems like a bedtime story for preschoolers and the film as a whole is barely educational. There is one scene showing "the ugliest thing on the planet, look...it has little feet" and that is truly "amazing" but the little guy with the five toes is on screen for about 30 seconds and except for one more really interesting "i have know idea what that is", Angel looking creature (on screen for 30 seconds),that's it.

The rest of the "Aliens of the Deep" consist of shrimp, crabs, and tube worms. Hardly enough for an IMAX and Cinema release.

James Cameron takes some astro-scientists to the deep ocean to examine life far from the sun. The idea is to help ponder how life at the bottom of the ocean might be like aliens in space-perhaps even on the moon Europa.

I watched the extended version of this documentary on DVD and found it beautiful to look at but tedious to endure. The problem is that unlike Cameron's earlier IMAX film on the Titanic there doesn't appear to be enough material to double the length of the 48 minute IMAX release. Its a great deal of talking heads speaking (down) to the audience. I felt I was at a museum and was getting a gee whiz lecture by the staff who under estimated my ability to understand what they were saying. I doubt most six years old like being talked to the way this film talks to its audience. I lost my patience and began to scan through to the pretty pictures. To be certain the undersea vistas are spectacular and the animated bits of what aliens might look like is neat, but the narration that holds it all together is weak. I'm going to have to go back and try the short version of the film, perhaps it will play better (almost certainly it won't have the dead spots the longer version does.

Worth a look for the visuals.

How can we learn how to explore other planets in space? By exploring the extreme environments in the deep sea. That is the premise of this documentary. So, to put it clearly, this is not a nature movie that shows a lot of fantastic animals and show us how the ecosystem works down there. This is a movie about how we do to get that knowledge, the technology aspect, the possibilities and unexpected problems. We get to know a few of the explorers thoughts, and strategies how to learn something new, and their visions and dreams (some of which is now reality). Of course, we get to see some of the extreme nature, some really freaky animals, but it is not really the main point 8even though I too wish they could have shown a little more of the animals and plants they studied). If you want to see a nature movie, you should probably pick another movie. If you are into exploration, how to break frontiers in real life (and not science fiction) this is more for you.