Deepsea Challenge 3D

While watching Cameron get in touch with his inner Jacques Cousteau won't be to everyone's taste, fans of the director and oceanography gearheads should swoon to the immersive, visually spectacular images of the ocean floor.

Adjust your documentary-watching gauge closer to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and further away from "Werner Herzog discovers one of the last unspoiled places left on earth," and you'll have a perfectly enjoyable time.

If the three hours of filming Cameron did in the Trench yield little obvious drama, the story of how the Deepsea Challenger reached those depths makes up for it.

Cameron is much better at explaining the science involved in his mission than he is in revealing what makes him tick. But he does point to one common denominator between his two careers: insatiable curiosity.