The idea behind "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" was pretty cool and could have worked very well. Imagine...a super submarine controlled by a super-genius that is called upon to save the world....cool stuff. But so much of the film came off badly...especially the dialog and underwater effects. Because of this, I could see kids enjoying it but adults simply suffering through it.
Before I say more, however, I should point out that I have never seen the television show that this movie spawned. I did grow up during the 60s and 70s and the show was re-run on TV often but for some reason I never bothered watching the program. How close this movie is to the show, I have no idea. I do know that the case was quite different.
As for the plot. The the Van Allen Belt has somehow gone wonky. As a result, the Earth begins heating up and unless something stops this, we're all gonna die. At a meeting at the UN, the Admiral (Walter Pidgeon) announces a plan...to take his submarine to the Marianas and launch a missile into space with a nuclear bomb...to blow the Belt away from the Earth and save everyone. However, a really stupid scientist argues that the best thing to do is nothing...even though folks are dying all over the planet he says that the fiery skies will reverse themselves eventually(???). The Admiral ignores this idiot and sets sail for the Marianas to complete his mission.
During the rest of the film, a crew of well-trained navy men all begin acting VERY unprofessional, threaten mutiny and act like idiots. Many of the crew want to return home to die with their families...instead of trying to save the planet!! This makes no sense at all nor do the folks who suddenly start trying to sabotage the sub! Think about it, the sub is the only hope of the planet and about half the people on the sub want to scuttle the mission. Does this make ANY sense?! Of course not...nor does the dialog make any sense either.
The bottom line for me is that Irwin Allen films had big spectacle and explosions...but often the dialog and characters were completely one-dimensional like they are here. Add the garish underwater scenes to the mix and you have a movie that simply misses the mark.
Before I say more, however, I should point out that I have never seen the television show that this movie spawned. I did grow up during the 60s and 70s and the show was re-run on TV often but for some reason I never bothered watching the program. How close this movie is to the show, I have no idea. I do know that the case was quite different.
As for the plot. The the Van Allen Belt has somehow gone wonky. As a result, the Earth begins heating up and unless something stops this, we're all gonna die. At a meeting at the UN, the Admiral (Walter Pidgeon) announces a plan...to take his submarine to the Marianas and launch a missile into space with a nuclear bomb...to blow the Belt away from the Earth and save everyone. However, a really stupid scientist argues that the best thing to do is nothing...even though folks are dying all over the planet he says that the fiery skies will reverse themselves eventually(???). The Admiral ignores this idiot and sets sail for the Marianas to complete his mission.
During the rest of the film, a crew of well-trained navy men all begin acting VERY unprofessional, threaten mutiny and act like idiots. Many of the crew want to return home to die with their families...instead of trying to save the planet!! This makes no sense at all nor do the folks who suddenly start trying to sabotage the sub! Think about it, the sub is the only hope of the planet and about half the people on the sub want to scuttle the mission. Does this make ANY sense?! Of course not...nor does the dialog make any sense either.
The bottom line for me is that Irwin Allen films had big spectacle and explosions...but often the dialog and characters were completely one-dimensional like they are here. Add the garish underwater scenes to the mix and you have a movie that simply misses the mark.