I fell asleep about half an hour into this and then I woke up and Peter Lorre was being butted in the arse by a seal and I've no idea if I'm still dreaming now.

The spectacular set design of the Nautilus and dazzling effects are definitely standouts of this underwater sci fi jam but there’s plenty to love here—I can’t say enough about the top notch cast and how superb James Mason is as Nemo, and although it starts to feel a bit long (a minor quibble) I cant complain too much... it is afterall, an adventure blockbuster, perhaps one of the finest of its era as far as science fiction goes and I couldn’t help but feel a little mesmerized during any underwater scenes.

Plus there’s Peter Lore (!), Cannibals (oof), an adorable sea lion (!!!!), and that amazing animatronic giant squid!

Disney's first stab at a big-budget Technicolor Cinemascope adventure film with gorgeous production design and well-handled marine action by Richard Fleischer. All the underwater photography and that climactic squid battle in particular still look pretty fantastic. The storm! The harpoon! It's a bit too long for how little it seems to actually explore the ethical/psychological dilemmas it hints at (or the atomic age updates it makes on the material) but the spectacle of it all is engaging and the characters are given some interesting shading in the performances from Peter Lorre, Kirk Douglas and especially James Mason. Loved the parts where Kirk is in his little sailor outfit getting drunk, singing songs and hanging out with the seal.

What a gorgeous looking movie (it’s on Disney+). 
The fact that Disney himself mandated that the filmmakers use the anamorphic CinemaScope lenses to get his money’s worth which is why there’s no close ups is kinda brilliant. 
Totally forgot how near-slapstick Kirk Douglas is, his physicality in the film is stuff not many actors would throw themselves at (especially if this was a “one for them”). 
The production design is so tactile and great to look at especially in HD. 
The effects still hold up too. 
A fantastic dark adventure.

What is there not to love about this film?

You've got Captain Nemo, played by the stylishly hip and reserved James Mason. An underwater sea-faring submarine (Nemo's most cherished possession). A professor, played by "you wish he was your grandpa" Paul Lukas. And his cute and hilarious little assistant, played by the lovable peter Lorre. And a muscular "why I outa (slap!!!)" sail man, perfectly characterized by the one and only Kirk Douglas. And an adorable, rather, slippery friend. And don't forget the tribe of cannibals or the raid and destruction of that secret base or those sentimental words right at the ending there.

In a rather few words... A masterpiece!

Never read the book.
Decided to watch this one and actually enjoyed it.
The design of that submarine was pretty nice.
That seal was adorable.
It's amazing how Kirk Douglas' son Michael Douglas sounds just like his father.

🐙

It's a beautiful looking film, designed within an inch of its life, that's energetically brought to the screen by talented journeyman Richard Fleischer. There just isn't an ounce of the drive to be found. You can marvel at the amazing design of the Nautilus, but boy, I wish it had somewhere to go.

Nemo's goals of killing slavers is a noble one, and it could have been explored in a morally dynamic fashion, but it's never given any weight. There's no main mission, ticking clock, or destination that the viewer is ever asked to care about. The only thing to hang on to narratively is Douglas' dumbass character trying to escape. He is strong-headed, greedy and selfish. Because of Kirk Douglas, everything goes wrong. He is also positioned in the film as the hero.

The big marquee set-piece is the giant squid attack and it still works like gangbusters: Miniatures, big prosthetics, and water tank. All the good stuff.

Creaks and groans under its own weight in a way that only a big studio blockbuster can - much more so in fact than Around the World in 80 Days, even though this is almost an hour shorter. But the visual effects and set design are still dazzling, and James Mason does justice to Captain Nemo, giving what has to be one of the great antiheroes in fiction a Shakespearean gravitas (also, he kisses a sea lion).

Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre are also great, and watching them as two halves of an onscreen duo is like seeing the jock and the creepy weirdo from your high school as best friends.

That fucking sea lion.