Review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) by Daniel Q — 15 Sep 2010

I have been catching up on my classics for about 6 months now.... this ranks in the top 5 I have seen thus far!

The Good:

Where do I start? I guess I'll hit the nail in the head, James Mason's performance as Captain Nemo is phenomenal! I have only read bits and pieces of the Jules Verne classic, therefore I don't know how close the movie actually followed the book, but I have to say the story captured in the film was incredible! Thanks to intelligent dialogue, flawless character development, and one hell of a performance by Mason, this is easily one of the greatest descents into madness ever captured on screen! The rest of the cast shines as well and really add to the film!

The special effects (while considerably old) where spectacular! I am an old sci-fi movie enthusiast and it is truly was a joy to see that giant squid fight! It was done so surprisingly well, that I still can't get it out of my head! The underwater shots are also captured perfectly and really give the film an authentic feel.

The Bad:

-.

Overall:

A classic by every sense of the word! Possibly the best live-action Disney movie I have ever seen, featuring brilliant performances by James Mason, and Kirk Douglas as well as the most classic fight involving a giant squid you'll ever see on film! SEE. IT. NOW.