Review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) by Jon T — 26 Jul 2008
Walt Disney's best live-action project until MARY POPPINS, this classic action/science-fiction/drama combines fabulous acting, thrilling suspense, and breathtaking underwater cinematography. This isn't just a mindless special effects movie, but rather, a surprisingly intelligent piece of cinema, with fully-realized character development, courtesy of terrific performances from everyone involved (James Mason as Captain Nemo is especially brilliant).
It's amazing, too, that this movie ever got made. Initially budgeted at $2.5 million, the costs skyrocketed so high that the Disney Studios almost went bankrupt. (Most of the reasons for the overriding price were the now classic squid fight sequence, which had to be rescripted and reshot for the final version of the film.
) Yet director Richard Fleischer's confidence in his work shines through from the first frame to the last. Fans of the famous Japanese Anime series "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" should note that there are many similarities to be had between this film and the show of the same title.
This review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) was written by Jon T on 26 Jul 2008.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has generally received very positive reviews.
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