A very well done, three part Russian television film that takes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and works in elements from its sequel Mysterious Island. While not as good as the 1954 Disney Film, it is superior to the two television films of 1997. The plot adheres fairly closely to the novel, with numerous flashbacks to Nemo's former life as Prince Dakkar in India. Special effects are rather weak with the diving suits recycled from a Space film (and with scuba diver inserts that do not really fit) nothing comparable to the squid fight and a Nautilus that is not up to Harper Goff's design for the 1954 film. The usual problem with films based on Verne, no female characters, is solved by giving "Aronaks" a wife, (he leaves on their wedding day) and the Nemo flashbacks. Vladislav Dvorzhetsky is an excellent Nemo, comparing very favorably to James Mason.
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