Deepsea Challenge

While watching Cameron get in touch with his inner Jacques Cousteau won't be to everyone's taste, fans of the director and oceanography gearheads should swoon to the immersive, visually spectacular images of the ocean floor.

Adjust your documentary-watching gauge closer to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and further away from "Werner Herzog discovers one of the last unspoiled places left on earth," and you'll have a perfectly enjoyable time.

If the three hours of filming Cameron did in the Trench yield little obvious drama, the story of how the Deepsea Challenger reached those depths makes up for it.

The film seems to gloss over meaningful logistics of the expedition - such as funding, design and assemblage of the bathyscaphe Deepsea Challenger - as well as the scientific discoveries made from the specimens it collected.

Although he didn't encounter anything other than barrenness, he did bring back to the surface 100 new species of microorganisms. I hope National Geographic appreciates the effort.

In the end, the movie seems to be as much about James Cameron as anything else.

Cameron is much better at explaining the science involved in his mission than he is in revealing what makes him tick. But he does point to one common denominator between his two careers: insatiable curiosity.

It's so high on the thrill of discovery that it might even win over people who can't stand the guy.

All in all, Deepsea Challenge 3D is a grand, thrilling, and inspirational ride.

Less explored in all the ensuing back-patting is the question of whether Cameron is, in fact, sincerely interested in learning more about the world around him or whether this mission is merely intended to stroke his own ego.

[James] Cameron... encourages a we're-all-in-this-together camaraderie among his team. The fact remains, however, that he is the only one who actually gets to go on the big adventure, and that most of his associates are being paid to indulge his whims.