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Rating:
Visually and conceptually stunning despite occasional lapses into contrived sentimentality, James Cameron continues his tireless obsession with the legendary tragedy of the Titanic to spectacular results in Ghosts of the Abyss. Cameron's expanded canvas and experimentation with an effective new form of three-dimensional photography brings the audience as close as they're likely to get to experiencing the sight of the remarkable wreckage without standing on the ocean floor, and the discoveries that he and his crew make while floating miles underwater are nothing short of amazing. From the enormous stained-glass windows adorning the dining room that remain perfectly intact (an image which ultimately provides the film one of its most memorable images) to the cabin dressers hauntingly adorned with accessories as if they had just been used, Cameron's innovative use of technology literally offers viewers the ghostly opportunity to roam the corridors of the wreckage in a manner previously unimaginable. Utilizing two remote cameras dubbed "Jake" and "Elwood" to access areas of the ship that would otherwise remain unreachable, the explorers reveal images that to this point would have been physically impossible to capture. Playing the role as Cameron's everyman stand in, longtime friend Bill Paxton's nervous anticipation and genuine awe upon finally seeing the wreckage provides a suitable means of placing the audience in the cramped quarters of his sturdy submarine, though his frequent attempts at poignant observation seem too forced and intrusive to be effective given that the remarkable images speak to audiences in a manner difficult to express in words. Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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