Ghosts of the Abyss
Buena Vista Home Video | Release Date: April 11, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's a unique trip that flirts with hokeyness at the surface but that grows more compelling, awe-inspiring, and tragic the deeper you go. Read full review
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A delectable must-see. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The experience couldn't be more realistic, though Cameron also superimposes imagery of passengers recalling the fateful night, to haunting effect. Read full review
90
Film ThreatKevin Carr
Part of what makes this film a must-see for Titanic fans is that it truly puts you closer to the wreckage than anyone else can get. Read full review
88
New York PostLou Lumenick
An enthralling 3-D IMAX documentary. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Despite over-ripe narration and an understandable urge to cram too much in, Ghosts of the Abyss is a thrilling documentary. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Cameron wants to take the audience ''back to 'Titanic,''' but the journey's magic is hemmed in, paradoxically, by the transcendence of his previous effort; surely he must know that a lot of us never left. Read full review
80
VarietyRobert Koehler
Though quite routine on the logistics of deep-sea exploring, pic develops a visual style as it replays the events of the sinking that some viewers may find more visually exciting and satisfying than what Cameron staged in his original mega-blockbuster. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The more you know about the 1912 tragedy, the more you will appreciate the sights of Ghosts of the Abyss. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If Cameron wants to be a pioneer instead of a retro hobbyist, he should obviously use Maxivision 48, which provides a picture of such startling clarity that it appears to be 3-D in the sense that the screen seems to open a transparent window on reality. Ghosts of the Abyss would have been incomparably more powerful in the process. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Not just a 3-D novelty to amuse school groups, but also a memorial. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The film's underwater views are breathtaking, as are its drawings and photographs of the Titanic's original splendor. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Though younger fans of Cameron's 1997 blockbuster may be a little disappointed at the lack of, well, Leo, Cameron persuades us to share his obsession with the ship's history. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Whether he's working in nonfiction or science fiction, Mr. Cameron remains an artist of great instinctive power. In Ghosts of the Abyss, he uses every means of probing that modern science has put at his disposal -- electronic, mechanical, sonic -- only to find that the tragic reality of the Titanic, its myths and its meanings, remain tantalizingly beyond his reach. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
It’s best to situate yourself in the middle of the row; a seat at the end will most likely leave you feeling cross-eyed for an hour. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
For all the technical wizardry that went into making the film, Paxton's reflections on the human tragedies of the Titanic and the terrorist attack of Sept. 11th, 2001, which took place while the crew was out at sea, provide one of the film's most haunting moments. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The 3-D footage of Titanic does speak volumes, and sometimes the sheer fussiness of all the ghosts and archival images get in the way. As huge as the Imax screen is, when six different images vie for one's attention, it looks cluttered. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Occasionally exciting but carefully controlled. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKevin M. Williams
Ultimately, this talking dog don't hunt. Read full review
50
Village VoiceEdward Crouse
"Check this out, bro," James Cameron says as he returns to the site of the real Titanic, armed with robots, a 3-D Imax camera, and the same colossal hubris that necessitated a call for silence as he accepted his Oscar on behalf of those who perished. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
If only there'd been a chance to contemplate the legend in blessed silence.
50
L.A. WeeklyMark Olsen
During the all-important underwater sequences, the three-dimensional effects are surprisingly muted. Read full review
40
SalonCharles Taylor
James Cameron disgraces those who died on the Titanic -- again. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
The 3D, effective but not yet totally awesome, masks a world of sins: Ghosts can be an awfully tedious voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea. Read full review
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