Hey folks, Harry here with a report from a secret Distributor's Screening in New York of James Cameron's GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS! We've been hearing about this for quite sometime, and I thought it was due to come out last year, but it looks like it isn't quite finished yet. The word is that visually it is simply breathtaking, and with Cameron, I doubt there was ever room for doubt about that. Here ya go...
Hey there Harry!
Capt. Eddie Smith here, when Cameron disturbed my lonely burial at sea, I came along to haunt him. I took up living in New York City, and followed along with the other Distributors that were shown the near final version of Jim-Boy's GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS. I hear he screened it on the West Coast as well.
We watched the whole film once digitally projected in 3D and the first third again in the glory that is IMAX. The film currently has a temp score brought together from a whole host of music that I couldn't quite place. The reaction to the screening was quite positive. The use of 3D was just plain amazing in IMAX, except for a few shots here and there that didn't quite work for me yet. I was told though that Cameron has been working to make these problem shots, problem free.
Essentially, the story is of Mr Cameron and Bill "We're in some deep shit now Man!" Paxton and a group of historians all playing themselves diving into the wreck of the Titanic. They're reporting what they are seeing while ghosts appear on the shipwreck every now and again, as if drawn from the thoughts and fears in Paxton and Cameron's heads. A mental picture of what one imagines when at the bottom of the ocean in the greatest disaster and tragedy of all time.
For me though, the highlight is some spectacularly awesome footage from deep in the bowels of this sunken beauty that shows you things that I'm positive the world will believe is fake. Personally I can't believe I saw it myself, but spoiling it, just wouldn't be kosher. The film isn't about action or thrills, but is rather an exercise in atmosphere and chills. A sort of Haunted House Exploration in a way. Completely mesmerizing and is leagues and leagues better than that hokey Bismarck special that Cameron shoveled out for The Discovery Channel.
I heard one rodent from Disney describe the film as a "companion piece" to TITANIC, but frankly, I think tying this film to that movie is a mistake. This film works as its own unique thing. In fact, the only points in watching the film, that kicked me out of the experience was when the film was mentioned or referred to. It just jolted me out of the immediacy of the journey I was watching, and made me think about that film, instead of the film I was watching. Many of the distributors that attended were quite excited about the project, but were literally licking their chops and were talking quite loudly about wanting to see what ol Jamie-Boy would do with this remarkable technology he's made. From what I hear, it is going to be a feature!
Capt. Eddie Smith
