In the early 70s when you needed underwater footage with submarines you had very few choices at your disposal, archival footage and models were the most used in these cases. This film took an inventive approach to the issue; using models inside of a very large aquarium you get the impression of a deep-sea dive. Also the writers of this little sci-fi jaunt injected enough real science into the story to give the idea that what we are watching could be possible.
When a seaquake tosses around an underwater sea lab and pushes it down into a trench, an experimental submersible is used to try and reach them and discovers that some of the underwater phenomenons are beyond belief. With solid acting from some well known actors at the time, Ernest Borgnine, Ben Gazzara, and Walter Pidgeon, the pace of the movie is kept going from the beginning when all of the characters introduced to the very end when the sub surfaces. There isn't any harsh language so the younger children can watch it, and with all of the bright colorful fish that the crew encounters they'll enjoy the undersea sights. Granted there are times when you have to truly suspend your beliefs as the story progresses, but it's all done for the enjoyment of the audience.
Even though there are some situations that are complete beyond the known science of today's underwater divers, like the fact that the sub can keep going deeper and deeper and the divers don't need any extra equipment to keep the high pressure from killing them. But all in all this isn't a bad film, it's fun and enjoyable to watch, and it might spark the interest of some of the younger children to want to expand their knowledge of the sea that is all around us. So for a science fiction film from 1973 it's worth a look, as long as you don't look to closely at the mistakes on the technical side of the story, and you can live with some old fashion special effects you'll have another family movie that you all can sit, watch and enjoy.
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