When IMAX films are released on DVD you can be sure of one thing: you will lose some of the impact of the giant screen. There is simply no way for a film made with the expected result of an IMAX broadcast, to retain its impact when viewed on your 27" living room television. So, when you lose the primary draw of the IMAX format, the film will live or die based on its content. Deep Sea has one foot in the grave. I so hoped to like it, and there are a few elements that I did like, but there was enough to drag it down. Which all makes the end result something of a frustrating experience.

Deep Sea was an IMAX 3D experience. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to experience it in that fashion; I can only believe that it was an impressive, engrossing spectacle. I have seen IMAX 3D, and it is truly amazing. If you have never experienced a film like this, you must. You have not seen 3D until you have seen IMAX 3D: this is not your daddy's red/blue paper glasses style, this is the only way to see 3D films. Judging by what is on this DVD, I bet the effect was spectacular.

Let's start with what makes this film a must see. The one, and really only, reason to check out this disk is the undersea footage, it is nothing short of breathtaking. Taking a dip into the depths of our oceans is truly like stepping into another world. There is no special effects house in the world that can match the natural wonders that are contained with the world of the real, although those effects companies are better at explosions.

The camera dips into the depths and captures amazing footage of octopi, squid, crabs, turtles, coral, and all manner of fish. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, all of which are magnificently on display. We see them in a variety of situations, from just sitting around, to hunting, to fleeing, to cleaning, to eating. All of this footage is downright mesmerizing. There are a good number of memorable scenes, including a shrimp taking on an octopus, squid that can change their skin color, turtles getting cleaned by schools of fish, among many others.