Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
(C- or 1.5/4 stars)
'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' (produced, directed & co-written by Irwin Allen) is a big, splashy 1961 sci-fi action/adventure disaster flick that, despite great pedigree in actors involved, was just too childish, for me. The great Walter Pidgeon plays eccentric Admiral Harriman Nelson, a scientific genius who is the creator of the gleaming new atomic submarine, 'The Seaview'. The submarine has some observers aboard during a shake-down cruise, including a congressman & a doctor (Joan Fontaine), when matters all-of-a-sudden turn dire. The sky turns from blue to fire red due to the Van Allen Radiation Belt; which is causing a version of 'global warming', starkly raising earth's temperature & causing a hole in the earth's core.
If an answer to this problem isn't found and, the temps keep rising, well, then it's 'curtains' for Planet Earth. Adm. Nelson & his trusted advisor Commodore Emery (Peter Lorre) have a big plan: the submarine must travel to the Marianas Trench by a specific date & fire an atomic missile at the radiation belt at an exact time. This will - apparently - thrust said radiation belt back into outer space & stop earth from over-heating. However, the United Nations' science head (Henry Daniell) & other scientists reject the dangerous idea. Not getting approval, Nelson goes his own way; even going against the advice of the submarine's skipper (Robert Sterling). Can The Seaview reach its destination in time? A plan to sabotage the Admiral's plans could prevent that. Some of the obstacles they face: a giant sea octopi, other subs in hot pursuit, a religious fanatic, WWII mines; even a mutiny. Mayhem ensues.
I realize that this movie 'looks cool' with bright colors & sci-fi whimsy, but while plenty of people would refer to this archaic movie as 'mindless fun', I would not agree. Sure, the submarine looks pretty great - with its sleek lines & state-of-the-art {for then!} communications systems - but that didn't matter much to me. The plot is so ridiculously over-the-top. And at 105 minutes in length, I still couldn't wait for it to be over. The filmmakers really could have trimmed a calamity or two, a scene or two, and/or made the pacing tighter for those, like me, who couldn't abide it anymore. Furthermore, the whole giant octopi attack only reminded me of a far inferior film, 1942's Reap the Wild Wind. This film fails greatly in that direct comparison.
As I mentioned earlier, the cast is impressive and, for the most part, gives it their all. It is fun watching Walter Pidgeon try to save the world, haha. It's always great to see Peter Lorre in any movie. Seeing Joan Fontaine as a psychiatrist on board is pretty neat. Michael Ansara plays Miguel Alvarez, a nut who believes the missile strike goes against the will of God. Pre-I Dream of Jeannie Barbara Eden is good as Cathy, Nelson's secretary who doesn't know whether to be loyal to her boss or not. And Frankie Avalon - who sings the film's title song - is on hand as a trumpet-playing young office named Chip. So, yeah. Nice underwater photography & okay visual effects. But I could not put up with the childish take on basic science here; nor the poor pacing.
If an answer to this problem isn't found and, the temps keep rising, well, then it's 'curtains' for Planet Earth. Adm. Nelson & his trusted advisor Commodore Emery (Peter Lorre) have a big plan: the submarine must travel to the Marianas Trench by a specific date & fire an atomic missile at the radiation belt at an exact time. This will - apparently - thrust said radiation belt back into outer space & stop earth from over-heating. However, the United Nations' science head (Henry Daniell) & other scientists reject the dangerous idea. Not getting approval, Nelson goes his own way; even going against the advice of the submarine's skipper (Robert Sterling). Can The Seaview reach its destination in time? A plan to sabotage the Admiral's plans could prevent that. Some of the obstacles they face: a giant sea octopi, other subs in hot pursuit, a religious fanatic, WWII mines; even a mutiny. Mayhem ensues.
I realize that this movie 'looks cool' with bright colors & sci-fi whimsy, but while plenty of people would refer to this archaic movie as 'mindless fun', I would not agree. Sure, the submarine looks pretty great - with its sleek lines & state-of-the-art {for then!} communications systems - but that didn't matter much to me. The plot is so ridiculously over-the-top. And at 105 minutes in length, I still couldn't wait for it to be over. The filmmakers really could have trimmed a calamity or two, a scene or two, and/or made the pacing tighter for those, like me, who couldn't abide it anymore. Furthermore, the whole giant octopi attack only reminded me of a far inferior film, 1942's Reap the Wild Wind. This film fails greatly in that direct comparison.
As I mentioned earlier, the cast is impressive and, for the most part, gives it their all. It is fun watching Walter Pidgeon try to save the world, haha. It's always great to see Peter Lorre in any movie. Seeing Joan Fontaine as a psychiatrist on board is pretty neat. Michael Ansara plays Miguel Alvarez, a nut who believes the missile strike goes against the will of God. Pre-I Dream of Jeannie Barbara Eden is good as Cathy, Nelson's secretary who doesn't know whether to be loyal to her boss or not. And Frankie Avalon - who sings the film's title song - is on hand as a trumpet-playing young office named Chip. So, yeah. Nice underwater photography & okay visual effects. But I could not put up with the childish take on basic science here; nor the poor pacing.