Review: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Dir. Richard Fleischer (1954)

A worldwide hunt is underway for a mysterious monster which, as tales tell, rises from the depths of the sea to drag entire ships to a watery grave. Our heroes, a scientist, his servant, and a harpoonist, butt heads with the mysterious Captain Nemo. Is he an insane, twisted man or a misunderstood genius? Is scientific discovery worth high human casualties? Is violence to prevent violence justified? What costs are humanity willing to pay in order to prevent future warfare and continued atrocities?

20,000 leagues under the sea can be heady stuff for what starts out as a simple adventure movie. Loosely based on the wildly popular novel of the same name by Jules Verne, Disney’s live action adaption of the film was so difficult and expensive to shoot that it nearly bankrupt the studio.

Our central protagonists are mostly well developed characters and while they may have opposite goals which cause tension, no person truly emerges as a “villain” per se. Looked at from their point of view, all character actions are defensible in some way and this added level of nuance makes the story that much richer than standard adventure fare. The original novel was published in 1870, the story takes place in 1866, and Disney’s film adaptation was released in 1954. Despite major differences between the film and novel, Disney’s version manages to retain the science, adventure, and darkness of the book while adding notes of humor to the story.

Though the film is rated G, it’s significantly more violent and dark than would fly for the same rating in modern time. Additionally, the frequent philosophical conversations and debates may fly over the heads of younger viewers. An additional issue is a short throw-away scene that feels a bit queasily racist in hindsight and a song about women that is meant to be charming but just comes off as rude at best, blatantly sexist at worst.

For the time the special effects are truly incredible!! They haven’t all aged particularly well, but if you can approach it with the decade in which it was made as context, it’s easy to marvel at them and become invested in the story...even if you can see right through the illusion at times. The acting here is top notch, with the famous Captain Nemo and the harpoonist Ned Land both working hard to steal every scene they’re in. 

There are some minor plot holes here and there, but nothing that cripples the main narrative. The biggest problem modern audiences may have with the movie could be it’s pacing. The film is slow to start and only very gradually builds up steam. Several plot threads are picked up and then dropped in the middle, they offer further insight into the characters and their interactions, though they certainly don’t do the pace any favors.

Pet peeve nitpick here, for all it’s amazing writing, terrific acting, and imaginative aesthetic, the movie still feels the need to throw the old trick of repeating a meaningful dialogue line from earlier in the film over the final shot. YES MOVIE WE GET IT, WE REMEMBER THAT FROM EARLIER IN THE MOVIE. THANKS FOR REALLY HAMMERING THAT SYMBOLISM HOME. It’s really a terrible note for the story to end on. But like I said, that’s a pet peeve of mine that ranks up there with freeze frames and flashbacks in terms of personal annoyance. Your mileage may vary.

Musically, the soundtrack is orchestral and ranges from pounding organ dirges to light symphonic pieces. It’s well made but, barring one stand out musical interlude near the end, it’s also relatively forgettable. 

Should you see 20,000 leagues under the sea? If you’re able to approach it with your 1950s goggles strapped firmly to your faceparts, you’re in for a real treat! It’s a thinking person’s adventure movie that tackles issues still relevant today and exhibits a raw sense of style that was unusual then and is unusual now. A rough, historic gem.  If brief notes of racism and sexism put you off in a big way, or if you have no patience for films made with ponderous pace and an emphasis on character over spectacle, then you might want to swim quickly away from this particular sea monster.

-Josh Evans