BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Chase_Witherspoon Not as exciting as the box cover artwork might suggest, with a painfully stilted characterisation by Ben Gazzara and capable supporting cast trapped in one-dimensional roles. The story concerns militant, officious salvage expert (Gazzara) contracted by an aquatic research team to recover a stricken underwater manned probe that has descended into a deep sea ravine. Gazzara makes it clear from the outset that his goal is only to locate the vessel for insurance purposes, except Mimieux's companion is one of those aboard and she ups the ante in spite of escalating challenges.Pidgeon and Borgnine have little opportunity to establish any characterisation, while Mimieux simply frets and affects anxiety to demonstrate her 'depth' of character. The friction between her and Gazzara is about the only palpable action in the whole picture. The special effects consist of intense magnification of gold fish and other aquarium species, while endless jolts and turbulence puts you in the environmental context. As far as dialogue goes, the technical spec consists mainly of references to rudder malfunction and oxygen saturation. Riveting stuff.Disappointingly, the film ends abruptly where it could have developed a more convincing, compelling climax. After waiting 95 minutes, the audience is treated to a Jules Verne moment in which 'giant' eels corral the probe's survivors as they run out of oxygen. But just as the action gains momentum, the film ends. Five more minutes of that encounter might have earned another star, but this underwater adventure is mostly talk and no action.

Poseidon-3 Produced during the early swell of the 1970's disaster movie cycle, this Canadian-made adventure film combines elements from that genre along with a little sci-fi. An undersea research lab investigating the cause of earthquakes gets some firsthand data when a tremor rocks the ocean floor, sending the lab careening into a deep crevice. On the surface, doctors Pidgeon and Mimieux, along with divers Borgnine and Rhodes, attempt to locate the lab along with its three inhabitants, one of whom is Mimieux's boyfriend. With time running out (the lab only has seven days worth of life support) and with no clues to the lab's whereabouts, they call in Gazzara, who operates a special deep water sub called Neptune. With considerable difficulty and conflict, they discover that the lab has slipped far beneath the normal realm of exploration, meaning the Neptune must go to places heretofore never witnessed by man. Once there, they find that the deepest recesses of the ocean contain massive, over-sized fish and sea life thanks to the warmth emitted from volcanic fissures, creatures which severely obstruct the crew's chances of retrieving the men they're searching for! Pidgeon is far beyond the peak of his talents here, often seeming befuddled and dispassionate, despite his inherent likability from decades of prior screen triumphs. Borgnine is markedly heavier than he was just one year earlier in "The Poseidon Adventure", though his stunt double is notably more slender. His performance is almost reserved in contrast to some of his more bombastic portrayals and he doesn't embarrass himself (even if he is not the first person who comes to mind as a deep sea diver!) Mimieux is attractive, but hasn't got much to do besides look worried, stunned and dazed. Gazzara is horribly miscast and gives a stoic, wooden performance topped off with an atrocious Atlanta, GA accent. Rhodes is another one without a lot to do, but he retains his likable persona. The film has been roundly criticized from its release to the present for its effects concerning the "giant" fish (actually regular sea life projected UP CLOSE against the portals of the Neptune) and that aspect of the film is definitely preposterous and poorly handled. However, there is still considerable tension and some otherwise fine miniature work and underwater photography. Another issue is the amount of light and clarity of the water at these murky depths and the premise that men can simply emerge from their vessels and scuba dive in pressures that intense. One thing that robs the film of emotional impact is the fact that the audience barely gets to meet the trapped technicians before they disappear and their plight is never shown through the duration of the film. Also, the finale is rushed and rather poorly handled. Continuity is an issue as well. Mimieux appears in a different wash and wear outfit nearly every time she appears, even in the same day. It's a miracle her clothes don't change within scenes. (Note the way she and Pidgeon seem to wear the same outfits whenever they're on deck, no matter which day it is.) More unbelievable than the giant fish is the presumption that Borgnine can shimmy in and out of his (oddly ragged considering how new everything else is!) scuba suit in the time allotted. A scene between Mimieux and Borgnine, which may have illuminated her relationship with the missing doctor and added a little more emotional depth to the story, was cut prior to release. Still, there's something endearing about the clean, bright sets, the earnest performers, the mysterious and unusual aspects of the storyline and the mostly effective effects. Though it can be a bit tedious at times, it should be a reasonably pleasant viewing for fans of the stars or for fans of 70's disaster flicks. Mimieux and Borgnine would reunite a few years later in "The Black Hole."

JHC3 Oceanlab is an experimental station built atop an undersea mountain in theNorth Atlantic somewhere off the coast of Canada. An earthquake strikes,causing the lab to plunge into an unexplored abyss. Three men are trappedaboard and they have only seven days of oxygen remaining.After five days, the Oceanlab team is able to call in a retired naval officer, Commander Blake (Gazzara). Using his deep sea submersible "Neptune II," itis hoped he can locate and rescue the men before they suffocate. The hope is a slim one; all contact with the lab was lost when the earthquake occurred. The submersible must face the hazards of deep sea travel, aftershocks, and somevery unexpected discoveries on the ocean floor.The cast is unusually strong with Ernest Borgnine, Donnelly Rhodes, YvetteMimieux, and Walter Pigeon all putting in good performances. The specialeffects are limited to model work for undersea shots, but the models are decent enough given the year of release. The film starts out well with the openingscore being particularly noteworthy. Unfortunately, once the submersible gets in the water, the viewer is taken for a rather dull ride for the bulk of the film. Suspense is largely absent. In lieu of pacing, the filmmakers subject the viewer to a lot of stock fish footage. While this was decent enough, it was overused and probably better suited to a nature documentary. Ultimately, the screenplayneeded some serious work. There is insufficient substance to make this workeven as a one hour Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode. "The NeptuneFactor" otherwise possessed all of the elements necessary to make a successful and compelling adventure film.

robeykr A B+ movie that was a very good attempt to do in the ocean what Kubrick did for space. The filming on location and in the well-designed Ocean Lab underwater set reminded me of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's "World Without Sun" (1964). The plot may have been thin, but was clearly well intended and thought out in a somewhat scientific chain of thought that would be worthy of Walt Disney's concept of the "Plausible IMPOSSIBLE". The special effects were non-existent in this film (20th merely distributed it) but with the resources they did use, the film was enjoyable as a little excursion. Special Effects don't make a film; an interesting plot does. The plot here is an old and tried one in the movies: the disaster flick. When I saw this film on the big screen, the story did succeed in capturing my interest. Will they find the missing scientists? Did anyone survive? Do they all make it back? When the story entices the viewer to ask these questions and wondering at what will happen in the next 60 seconds -- as this film actually DOES do! -- then the producer and director succeeded at what they were trying to do. I enjoyed this film so much; I stayed in the theater and sat through it a second time! A good film -- if they ever decide to do a remake, I hope they give it a budget that will include good special effects. After all, when they re-made "IT! The Terror From Beyond Space," they had a hefty budget and retitled it ALIEN. Two and half stars out of five ain't bad.