At the Movies with Fatwayne

If you are interested in seeing truly beautiful and amazing scenery both above and below ground then you should schedule some time to see this film. The filming took place in Queensland, Australia at the Gold Coast as well as the cave diving region near Mount Gambier. Making it all the more remarkable is the fact that it was photographed in IMAX 3D using the same Pace Fusion camera system employed by James Cameron when he made Avatar. Though you may never know it due to the magnitude of the movie, underwater sequences took place in a huge water tank also located in Queensland. You could have fooled me – I actually felt like I was right there with the divers exploring these underwater marvels.

I guess I will never understand why people seem to enjoy placing themselves in peril, especially by swimming through very tight passages deep within the Earth and in total blackness save for their flashlights. The cold and the water pressure alone would do it for me. This fearless team seems to take delight in exploring areas where no man has set sight before.

The plot follows our team of adventurers as they explore a cave (Esa-ala) in Papua New Guinea. When everyone finally arrives in the cave they become trapped by torrents of water brought on by an unexpected cyclone. One of the damning effects of the storm is that their escape route is blocked by falling rocks. They have only one hope of surviving and that is by going even deeper into the cave system and following an underground river that they hope will vent into the Solomon Sea.

I never want to be a spoiler but I will tell you that I have a disdain for stories in which many of the main characters are dispatched. So beware, you won’t want to get too attached to any of these individuals because it seems that their days are numbered.

The movie has many intense moments and some of these we never see coming. Many are painful to watch and may force the more sensitive among us to look away. One can only imagine the psychological trauma these people are experiencing. But amongst all of this mayhem there is much beauty to behold.

Upon exiting the theater I had mixed emotions about my viewing experience. One thing was certain and that was my joy to be out in the sunshine and fresh air again. Cave diving is definitely not for this boy!

Rated  -  R  -

Fatwayne’s Rating   -  

  -