Movies That Take Place Primarily Underwater, Ranked
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Vote up the best films that take place (mostly) beyond dry land.
Earth's oceans are deep, vast, and full of mystery. Most of us will never know what it's like to dive thousands of feet below sea level and witness the natural wonders under the surface. Maybe that's why filmgoers are so fascinated by movies about deep sea exploration.
Whether they're submarine stories like The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide, horror tales like Underwater and Deep Blue Sea, or more whimsical films about magical undersea kingdoms like The Little Mermaid and Aquaman, movies set in the ocean give audiences a chance to dive into a world most of us are unfamiliar with.
But which movie in this subgenre (pun intended) goes the deepest? Vote up your favorite underwater films by how deep they travel.
- Photo: Finding Nemo / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures168 VOTES
What's It About? Marlin (Albert Brooks) is a helicopter parent/widower clownfish whose precocious son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), is captured and dumped in a dentist's office fish tank. As Marlin hunts through the ocean for his missing child, he's joined on the journey by the forgetful royal blue tang fish Dory (Ellen DeGeneres).
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? There are whales, electric jellyfish, and some pretty intimidating sharks, but this is a kids movie, so it's never particularly scary.
How Deep Does It Go? The depth of a clownfish's habitat rarely exceeds 12 meters, or 40 feet. However, at one point Marlin and Dory encounter an anglerfish, which must put them somewhere around 600 meters (1,968 feet).
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- Photo: 20th Century Fox265 VOTES
What's It About? The inhabitants of an experimental undersea drilling platform discover an alien intelligence while attempting to salvage a sinking submarine. The designer of the platform, Dr. Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), volunteers for the salvage mission despite the presence of her soon-to-be ex-husband Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris). Their relationship is tested through various crises related to the underwater alien presence.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Yes. Our heroes encounter aliens, though the film refers to them as "non-terrestrial intelligences" (NTIs), which sounds slightly less silly than "UFOs" or "ETs." Alien probes, the famous Water Tentacle, and the butterfly-like NTIs themselves all make appearances.
How Deep Does It Go? Very, very deep. The movie starts in a trench and only goes deeper, as Lindsey plumbs the depths in search of a wayward missile. Earlier in the film, crew member "Catfish" says the eponymous abyss runs "2½ miles straight down," which is 13,200 feet. Now, that's nowhere near as deep as some underwater spots, but Catfish is presumably counting from the oil rig's location, not the ocean's surface, so it would be deeper still.
Another crew member, "Hippy," tracks Bud's depth during his final plunge. The last number he calls out is 17,000 feet, but Bud falls a long way further after that. It's possible that Bud goes no further than 25,217 feet, which is the maximum depth of the Cayman Trough, where the movie is supposed to be set.
Interestingly, Abyss director James Cameron himself did a solo descent to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in 2012, only the second time such a manned descent was ever made. Reaching a depth of 35,756 feet, Cameron went far deeper than Bud could have gone, albeit in a submersible, not a suit. But Cameron didn't see any NTIs down there - just tiny, shrimplike creatures.
Also, the movie's ending revolves around the power of love conquering all, which is pretty deep when you think about it.
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- Photo: Paramont Pictures361 VOTES
What's It About? When Soviet submarine commander Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) decides to defect to the United States and hand over the highly advanced sub Red October, only CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) can ensure Ramius and his crew's safety as they attempt to evade capture at the hands of both the Soviet and US Navies.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? No, unless you think that the simmering tension between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as the threat of mutually assured destruction, is some sort of metaphorical monster.
How Deep Does It Go? This is a submarine movie, so you can only go so deep before the pressure compresses your boat. Red October is supposed to be a modified Typhoon-class Soviet sub, meaning that its maximum operational depth would be about 1,300 feet.
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- Photo: Buena Vista Distribution450 VOTES
What's It About? Kirk Douglas plays Ned Land, a member of an expedition to discover the cause of a series of mysterious strikes on ships in the Pacific Ocean. He is captured by the enigmatic Captain Nemo (James Mason) of the futuristic submarine Nautilus. When it is revealed that the Nautilus is responsible for the onslaught, Land and his compatriots try everything to escape Nemo's clutches.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? You can have a giant squid - as a treat.
How Deep Does It Go? The "league" is a unit of measurement that varies from country to country. In English-speaking countries, it's 3 miles. But in France, the metric lieue (the word actually used by Jules Verne) is about 2½ miles. However, no vessel could possibly attain a depth of 20,000 leagues, as that would be about 50,000 miles - and Earth's radius (the distance from its center to its surface) is only about 4,000 miles. What gives?
The answer is that Verne's title refers not to the depth of the vessel underwater, but the total distance traveled while underwater. In the novel, the Nautilus attains a depth of 16,000 meters (about 52,000 feet) or four leagues (according to chapter 11 in the book). Even that is considerably deeper than the deepest point known to modern science - the Challenger Deep, near Guam - which descends almost 11,000 meters (36,000 feet).
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- Photo: Buena Vista Pictures554 VOTES
What's It About? Linguist and cartographer Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox) engages in an expedition to what he believes is the location of the fabled city of Atlantis. The villainous mercenary Commander Rourke (James Garner) seeks to rob Atlantis of its treasures and sell them to the highest bidder. Only Milo and his friends on the submarine Ulysses can save Atlantis from this threat.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Since this film takes place in the lost underwater city of Atlantis, there are all manner of exotic creatures, including a robot that guards the entrance to the city.
How Deep Does It Go? Believers in Atlantis tend to place the original legendary island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which has a maximum depth of around 27,493 feet. So while Atlantis could be very deep, James Cameron and Captain Nemo definitely went deeper.
- 675 VOTES
What's It About? Mermaid princess Ariel (Jodi Benson) falls in love with the human Prince Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes), which causes her to abandon her life under the sea to be (all together, now) a part of his world. Ariel will have to overcome the meddling of evil sea witch Ursula if she wants to avoid becoming a poor, unfortunate soul and live happily ever after with her prince. Will Eric get to kiss the girl? Only one way to find out.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? The Little Mermaid includes talking fish, a talking crab, a half-woman/half-octopus, and a mermaid.
How Deep Does It Go? Not deep enough. The undersea scenes are located in relatively shallow depths where familiar fish species thrive, and the whole plot of the movie is about Ariel trying to escape her life underwater. One might even argue that this movie is anti-ocean.
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- Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures7137 VOTES
Aquaman
What's It About? An adaptation of the DC Comics character Arthur Curry, heir to the throne of Atlantis. The half-human Aquaman has the power to talk to fish and various other sea creatures. Aquaman clashes against his nefarious half-brother the Ocean Master for control of the sea while coming to terms with his mixed heritage.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Most of the characters in this movie would qualify as "sea creatures."
How Deep Does It Go? In order to claim the throne of Atlantis, Aquaman has to venture into a hidden kingdom all the way at the center of Earth. So, yeah. Deep.
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- Photo: 20th Century Fox839 VOTES
What's It About? The venerable ocean liner SS Poseidon overturns in the middle of the ocean, trapping its passengers inside the ship. The Reverend Frank Scott (Gene Hackman) attempts to save as many people as he can before the boat goes under.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Nope. This is a pure disaster movie with no magic, sci-fi, or fantasy elements. The only objective is to survive.
How Deep Does It Go? The ship is upside down and slowly sinks during the runtime of the movie. So we're not talking more than a couple hundred feet, max.
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- Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures948 VOTES
What's It About? Genetic modifications create super-smart sharks that threaten to eat the inhabitants of an underwater research facility.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? There's a giant, hyper-intelligent shark that eats Samuel L. Jackson.
How Deep Does It Go? The word "deep" is in the title, but really, the undersea facility probably isn't that deep. The mako sharks being studied by the scientists have a habitat extending no further than 490 feet below sea level.
More Deep Blue Sea - Photo: Neue Constantin Film1035 VOTES
What's It About? The crew of the WWII-era German U-boat U-96 struggles to survive during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Nope. This is a sober, serious historical drama. Not a single sea beast to be found. Just a lot of sweaty German men crammed into tight spaces.
How Deep Does It Go? There is a scene where the U-96 has to dive below its test depth (750 feet for a Type VII U-boat) to avoid detection, which could completely wreck the ship due to the intense pressure. "Crush depth" for this vessel is estimated to be no deeper than 1,000 feet.
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- Photo: 20th Century Fox1133 VOTES
What's It About? High-tech submarine Seaview is dispatched on a mission to save Earth from burning up in three weeks. In order to do this, the crew must fire a powerful device from the middle of the ocean. Don't worry if any of that makes sense. Look at the shiny submarine!
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Can we interest you in a giant squid?
How Deep Does It Go? All the way to the bottom of the sea. The deepest dive ever recorded was 35,853 feet, so you can imagine that the Seaview went pretty deep.
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- Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures1240 VOTES
What's It About? British action icon Jason Statham plays rescue diver Jonas Taylor, who is hired by wealthy businessman Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) to rescue a deep sea expedition captained by, of all people, his ex-wife. If this reminds you of the plot of The Abyss, then you've been paying attention. Except, instead of a "non-terrestrial intelligence," Taylor encounters a giant prehistoric shark.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Oh yes. A megalodon that is listed at 82 feet long and weighing in at a svelte 170 tons. There's also a cameo from a giant squid.
How Deep Does It Go? Statham and company venture into our old friend the Mariana Trench, which runs as deep as 36,000 feet.
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- Photo: Buena Vista Pictures1338 VOTES
What's It About? The captain (Gene Hackman) and executive officer (Denzel Washington) of a US Navy submarine clash over how to interpret an order to launch missiles during a protracted standoff off the coast of Russia.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? This is a serious, intense character study set around real geopolitical issues. It's footloose and monster-free.
How Deep Does It Go? Emotionally deep, for sure. There's plenty of discussion about age, experience, and the need to respect the chain of command. Physically, an Ohio-class submarine has a maximum operational depth of about 800 feet.
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- Photo: Buena Vista Pictures1431 VOTES
What's It About? Quirky oceanographer and documentary filmmaker Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) discovers he has a long-lost son (Owen Wilson) while on a mission to get revenge against the jaguar shark that ate his former partner (Seymour Cassel).
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Who can forget the classic stop-motion jaguar shark sequence? Other than that, it's a fairly creatureless movie.
How Deep Does It Go? We don't get properly deep until that climactic jaguar shark scene, and a solid amount of the movie takes place outside of the submarine Belafonte. Still, a movie about parental regret and loneliness is pretty deep.
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- Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures1531 VOTES
What's It About? Scientists Dr. Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman), Dr. Elizabeth Halperin (Sharon Stone), Dr. Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson), and Dr. Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber) are tasked with examining a downed alien spacecraft and determining its origin. Without spoiling a movie from 1998, let's just say the obvious answer is not the correct answer.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? A jellyfish and a giant squid.
How Deep Does It Go? The sphere is located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, which has an average depth of 14,000 feet.
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- Photo: TriStar Pictures1626 VOTES
What's It About? The crew of the underwater naval facility DeepStar Six (which includes Twin Peaks and RoboCop alum Miguel Ferrer, as well as former Police Academy star Matt McCoy) awakens a hideous creature when it detonates a series of depth charges inside a cavern below the station. As you can imagine, that creature is hungry.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? DeepStar Six has one monster that resembles an evil caterpillar.
How Deep Does It Go? The heroes discover a complex underground cavern with mysterious beasts just waiting to eat as many human beings as possible. Also, "deep" is in the title of the film.
More DeepStar Six - Photo: DreamWorks Pictures1739 VOTES
What's It About? In a world where sharks have jobs and earn paychecks, a young fish named Oscar (Will Smith) becomes embroiled in a crooked gambling conspiracy involving the most powerful shark family in the ocean, led by Don Edward Lino (Robert De Niro). Other characters are voiced by icons of the mob movie genre, including director Martin Scorsese, Peter Falk, and Sopranos stars Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. Angelina Jolie portrays Oscar's love interest, a lionfish named Lola.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Like Finding Nemo, this is your classic talking-fish movie with evil sharks.
How Deep Does It Go? Average depth, in every way.
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- Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer1825 VOTES
What's It About? The crew of an undersea mining operation discovers the abandoned Soviet ship Leviathan and the gruesome monsters hidden within.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? The mutated corpses of the perished crew members turn into a gruesome, tentacled sea creature. It looks as if the predator and the Rancor from Return of the Jedi had a baby.
How Deep Does It Go? Once again, the story revolves around an underwater mining operation. That's deep.
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Underwater
What's It About? An undersea research team causes an earthquake that unleashes humanoid fish monsters that threaten to wipe out their base.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? Creepy sea mutants that live under the Mariana Trench that kinda look like the Xenomorph from Alien, but also like a fish.
How Deep Does It Go? Not only does it go deep into the murky depths of the ocean (setting it in the Mariana Trench, which contains the 36,000-foot Challenger Deep, and placing the action potentially at the deepest point known to humankind), Underwater is deeply concerned with the adverse effects of climate change on the aquatic ecosystem.
- 2025 VOTES
What's It About? Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play sisters on holiday in Mexico who decide to do some shark-watching from the safety of a secure cage. Well, as you can imagine, everything goes wrong. Moore's character, Lisa, doesn't know anything about deep sea diving. So, when the cable on their cage breaks and sends them plummeting 47 meters below the surface of the ocean, the chances of survival are slim. Can our protagonists pull out a miracle?
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? There are some sharks. That's about it. Sorry, this is a pretty simple movie.
How Deep Does It Go? Exactly 47 meters, or 154.2 feet for our American readers. Small potatoes by the standards of many films on this list, but scary enough if it happened to you.
- Photo: Paramount Pictures2133 VOTES
What's It About? In this adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) seek to stop Plankton from snatching both Mr. Krab's (Clancy Brown) krabby patty recipe and King Neptune's (Jeffrey Tambor) crown.
Are There Sea Creatures/Monsters? You wouldn't dare call SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, or Plankton monsters, but they are talking sea creatures with arms and legs that wear clothes. When you think about it, that's kind of scary.
How Deep Does It Go? It's safe to assume Bikini Bottom is beyond our ability to comprehend the concept of "deep," because no human being has ever discovered it.
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