|
Back in 1997 James Cameron gave us Titanic and it launched many things – Leo DiCaprio’s career and our
interest in the history behind that mysterious ship that sank on April 15, 1912. And obviously Titanic
made a huge impact on James Cameron’s personal life – and not only because it make him a gazillion dollar richer.
Ghosts
of the Abyss is a closer look into the real Titanic. James Cameron and Bill Paxton (whom also narrates
the documentary) give us a closer look into the actual wreck itself. This truly is an in depth glimpse
into history.
Six years after his [Cameron’s] trek into the sea – Cameron returns with actor Bill Paxton, a team of
Russian and American scientists and some of the world’s most knowledgeable Titanic historians to give us quite possibly
the best documentary that features the wreck of the Titanic. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology
– we are able to walk through the halls of C-Deck, dine in the dining room, and gasp at the living quarters of first
class. No other documentary goes this far into the wreck itself. And to top it all off,
they use seemingly flawless animation to fill in the gaps. For instance, lets say they were trying to
show us part of the upper deck where the famous musicians played their last note… it may be hard for the average
eye to realize what we are actually looking at. But – they splice in some virtual walls and actors
portraying the musicians and we are finally able to see what it actually looked like the night it sank. Truly
ingenious filmmaking.
Bill Paxton is the narrator of this documentary. On paper
Bill is a terrific choice since he does portray the excavation leader in Titanic, but he’s not quite the best choice
to be narrating a documentary. Bill is a very fun actor, not quite the greatest in his field, but still
a fun actor… I would have preferred a better narrator with bigger voice-over chops.
The
bottom line – Ghosts of the Abyss is the best documentary I’ve seen on the Titanic. And trust
me, I should know – my daughter is obsessed with Titanic and we’ve seen just about everything out there.
|
