The 1950s and 1960s saw a number of movies and TV series that formed a special little sub-genre, the "underwater adventure" show, and Around the World Under the Sea is one of the better examples of this little cinematic niche. Formulaic to the extreme and written as if by committee, Sea nevertheless holds a certain fascination, especially for young boys and for those who were once young boys. Part of its appeal is genuine: cinematographers Lamar Boren and Cliff Poland have captured some marvelous undersea footage that is simply captivating. Granted, it at times feels shoved into the narrative, but since the narrative isn't exactly a model of complexity, there's little reason to complain. When the attention is drawn back to the actual story, one has to deal with a predictable, episodic tale filled with barely sketched-in characters; this is definitely the kind of movie in which each member of the large cast is given one defining characteristic and finds variations to play on it throughout the affair. Yet as long as Sea is trolling for adventure, this matters little, and director Andrew Marton does a fine job of keeping the enterprise afloat. Throw in a tasty turn from David McCallum and some nice moments from Keenan Wynn, and the result is a decent way to while away a little time in a totally mindless manner.