The story, as well as Peter Yate's direction of it, is juvenile without being in any attractive way innocent, but the underwater sequences are nice enough, alternately beautiful and chilling.

It never quite balances the adventure with the drama, but it’s far from unwatchable.

The fact is that Peter Yates has knocked himself out doing masterly underwater action sequences and aquatic stunts in the service of a woefully crummy book.

Everyone should be generally satisfied with it, and no one thoroughly entertained.