ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Filipe Neto This film is no more than the adaptation of one of Jules Verne's most notable novels. Abundantly read, disseminated and translated, its difficult to spoil, telling the voyage of the Nautilus, a mysterious submarine commanded by Nemo, a misanthrope haunted by his own past and who found in the depths of the sea a refuge, far from civilization. The cast is led by James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre, four acclaimed actors who don't let us down. Their work is excellent. The film was made for the young but its not necessarily childish. In fact, among the moments of humor (especially brightened by Douglas, the most comic actor in the cast) there are many situations of dramatic tension and philosophical reflections around human nature, cruelty and the notion of civilization. Mason was able to give psychological depth to Nemo, a character who, otherwise, would be just cruel and inhuman. Douglas's character may sometimes seem selfish or materialistic, but the actor has also managed to give him a cheerful, sometimes generous soul. Ned Land is someone who loves freedom and who finds himself imprisoned, fearing what may happen to him. The film has great scenery and underwater scenes are impressive. The submarine was thought to the smallest details, matching well the mysterious technology with a certain retro visual style of pleasant Victorian flavor. All this gives visual beauty to a film that, although already ancient, still worth it.

matttaylor-65065 The director of this film, Richard Fleischer, delivers a film in true Disney spirit that even a huge fan of the waves like myself falls in love with. There is humour in this adventure and this shows with the dialogues and screenplay. Captain Nemo has a grudge against everything. I think he actually has a grudge against mother earth herself. I think Nemo considers himself ruler of the ocean and through his machine Nautilus he is able to put his belief into reality with such power. James Mason is outstanding in his part of Captain Nemo, Kirk Douglas plays a fantastic part of Ned Land, he has such a gift to make his character likable and funny at the same time. Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre also magnificent.Even though this film is 60 years old it can still hold its own! Watch it you won't be disappointed.

Leofwine_draca By far the most popular version of the Jules Verne novel, this well-remembered Disney classic is a giant of the genre: a science fiction adventure yarn that helped set the trend for similar kiddie flicks that followed (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH). However, I have to say that I was slightly disappointed when watching it. It was less entertaining a film than I had expected, which perhaps is down to an overlong running time and a slightly sanitised, Disney-esque feel to the proceedings, which never dwell on the less than savoury aspects of the adventure. Instead the film focuses on admittedly cute performing creatures – Esmerelda is a hoot – and the death and destruction inherent in the story (for example the loss of the main ship's crew) is glossed over as too dark.Still, at its best, this is influential, exciting stuff. The well-remembered giant squid attack towards the climax utilises an excellent full-size model and would be rehashed by countless films made afterwards. The undersea ship Nautilus is a wonderful creation, and James Mason delivers a memorable turn as the manic, obsessed Captain Nemo, at war with humanity. Kirk Douglas excels as the macho hero, especially in his (too few) two-fisted action sequences, and you can't get much better than Peter Lorre as a kooky supporting performer, bringing much warmth and humour to the production.So I enjoyed this movie superficially, but I left wanting more. Few sequences equal the squid attack or the explosive climax, and too much time is spent on repetition – attack, capture, escape, repeated again and again. The bit where Douglas is on the run from a tribe of island cannibals hasn't dated too well, even if it continues to inspire films to this day, like INDIANA JONES or that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequel. It's a fun outing, but nowhere near the level of my two favourites the genre has to offer: James Mason starred again in JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH, while my all-time great is the low budget '70s outing, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT!

v_haritha_in Disney's take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Natural historian Prof. Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre) and harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) set out on a government funded ship, in search of a rumored sea monster. The three of them get separated from the ship and stumble across the supposed "monster", which is in fact a highly advanced submarine called Nautilus. It is led by the enigmatic Captain Nemo (James Mason). He and his devoted crew have shunned civilization and adopted to the aquatic way of life. The visitors are not allowed to go back as Nemo does not want his secret to get out. Prof. Arronax has no objection as he is deeply fascinated by the underwater world and wants to study it. But as Captain Nemo starts showing his brutal side, Land is desperate to escape.This movie is dated, be it its political incorrectness, the science depicted in it, Prof. Arronax's method of study, or its special effects. A sautéed unborn octopus would be an environmentalist's nightmare today, yet it was a delicacy in its time. Similarly, no present-day natural historian would want to kill a rare species and place it in a natural history museum, but that is exactly what Prof, Arronax intended to do with the sea monster. It also depicts American natives as cannibals. The Nautilus defends itself by passing electric current over its surface when we now know that electricity and water should not be mixed. Disney made quite a few changes to the original material and ironically, the novel, written more than eighty years before the movie came out, has aged better.However, the movie has its own charm. Its heart is in the right place. We find yourselves smiling at its quirks as they remind us of the time when it was made. Kirk Douglas is the life of the movie; he is winningly riotous, effervescent and his energy pervades the entire movie. Another highlight of the movie is Captain Nemo and Prof. Annorax's stately friendship.Good to watch once.