Following the destruction of much of coastal Turkey by a massive tsunami, American scientists Dr. Doug Standish (a mugging Lloyd Bridges) and Dr. Craig Mosby (Brian Kelly playing kind of a sexist jerk) lead the crew of the submarine Hydronaut in a race to plant seismic sensors along fault lines on the ocean floor to create an experimental earthquake detection system in order to prevent other coastal countries from suffering the same fate. The crew consists of geologist Orin Hillyard (Marshall Thompson), electronics expert Dr. Philip Volker (David McCallum doing a hokey German accent) and marine biologist Margaret Hanford (the fetching Shirley Eaton as what basically amounts to eye candy). Also along for the ride is reclusive survival expert Hank Stahl (a delightfully curmudgeonly Keenan Wynn). While at times enjoyable, Around the World Under the Sea is, alas, a bit on the boring side. It isn't that badly written, not for a movie of its type, anyway, but in its apparent drive to depict the science fiction elements as realistically as possible (in a "this is totally plausible" sort of way), it tends to bog down. We spend far too much time focusing on the Hydronaut crew planting the various sensors that midway through the film a montage of them doing it gets the bulk of that out of the way to make way for... well, not undersea adventure, that's for sure. There is some of that, but it's few and far between and mostly, when the movie isn't methodically showing us in detail how they do various scientific tasks, it basically plays out like a soap opera set on a submarine: Volker wants to do a salvage dive for some valuable crystals but is opposed (for some reason the movie never bothers explaining) by Stahl, and the two have an epic chess game to decide whether they'll do it (Volker cheats!); Hanford is ostensibly Hillyard's girlfriend at the start, but starts falling for Mosby despite him being kind of a sexist pig, and on top of this she's Volker's ex and there is unresolved tension between them. The movie seems to think that this is all more interesting than giant eels and erupting undersea volcanoes. It would be wrong. One thing of note is the sexism against Dr. Hanford that Craig Mosby has, and, to some extent, so does the movie. With comments like "she's as good with a skillet as she is with a scalpel," it at times feels like a movie from a much earlier film, far less tolerant of women in the workplace. When Hanford is late for the Hydronaut's takeoff, the chief concern regarding her is that they can't set sail without a cook (!). If nothing else, at least the poor woman gets support from Standish if no one else, who points out "She's a scientist and so are we" and doesn't find the idea of female astronauts at all unusual, and hires her on the spot even once he learns the mysterious and overqualified "M.E. Hanford" is a woman, whilst it is Mosby who objects to having a woman aboard the sub. Still, most of it just seems like lip service, as, despite Standish's insistence in her abilities, all supposed marine biologist Hanford ever really does is "woman" stuff like serving coffee while Stahl (who isn't even a scientist) does most of the specimen collecting and lab work. This nonsense aside, it has its moments. There's a a giant moray eel which attacks the sub, and a fairly satisfying climax involving a giant underwater volcano and a rock slide buries the sub.Read full review
I first saw it when it came out in 1965 and I was 10 year old. The movie still has charm even if the science at times is more than a bit off. My daughter watched it with me and enjoyed it as well as I did.
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Any tv program or movie by Ivan Tors are my favorites. Especially with Lloyd Bridges and all the other folks in this production. I'm a vintage scuba fan and this movie fits right in to my interests.
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I always enjoy this movie for the fine performances of Keenan Wynn and David McCallum. To me, they and Lloyd Bridges are the stars, not the other two characters.
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This is a great version of the film. Video is superb. Played on a Blu Ray, it up converts almost to HD and looks very good. Quality is outstanding. As for the movie, it is a great underwater adventure. Filmed in Florida, Caribbean, Great Barrier Reef. This action adventure takes you where no other has and is worth watching.
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When the film first hit the big screen (1966) I was completely captivated. Loved it. All the underwater/adventure names were in it. My ambition was to become a SCUBA diver. A few years later I received my training and certification. Now when I watch the film and all the false claims of the film....well, that's what they sold as entertainment back then. All the same, it's a fun, popcorn film. Happy to have it in my collection.
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I enjoyed it enjoyed my characters that I call my favorites are some of them together in the same movie around the world under the sea
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This movie reminded me a lot of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, but on a smaller scale. It is great family fun! I vaguely remembered this when it came out originally, and had always wanted to see it.
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Good film. Holds up today except for some outdated scuba gear. A must for underwater adventure buffs.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This was a beautifully filmed underwater adventure movie with nice writing, acting, and special effects put together by the underwater cinematography experts who were responsible for the creation of both Sea Hunt and Flipper. Features a strong male cast of Lloyd Bridges, Brian Kelly, David McCallum, and Keenan Wynn.
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