the neptune factor

An ambitious Canadian "tax-shelter" production from 1973, The Neptune Factor keeps its underwater adventure story relatively classy with a cast that includes the always convincing Ernest Borgnine, the ethereally beautiful Yvette Mimieux and a hunky young Ben Gazzara. Set aboard an experimental submarine on a rescue mission to save the survivors aboard a deep-sea habitat in distress, the crew descends to unexplored depths only to find....a salt-water aquarium?

Divers "Mack" MacKay (Borgnine) and Adrian Blake (Gazzara) are headed topside when a quake sends their advanced underwater lab - and three crew members - tumbling into a bottomless abyss. Desperate for help, their prayers are answered when the Neptune arrives on a test run and its skipper agrees to scout for the wreck before life support runs out. But a deep-water current pulls them into a cavern filled with monstrous fish, pushing the sub to the limit and threatening their very survival.

No matter how scientifically accurate director Daniel Petrie (Fort Apache The Bronx) sets things up, the film's third act is an embarrassing mix of miniatures and live-action fish that hearkens back to the days of Irwin Allen-style Lost World lizards passing themselves off as dinosaurs. The actors stare out of green-screen portholes into close-up shots of eels, crabs and one particularly pushy triggerfish while their toy submarine floats past on amusement park rails. Even kids will have a hard time suspending their disbelief, which probably explains why The Neptune Factor has sunk out of the public eye.

But Kino Lorber's new special edition Blu-ray makes a case for reappraisal...or at least a little leniency. The new high-definition transfer is gorgeous, pushing the colors and details to unexpected levels of brilliance. And with the film looking so good, one starts to realize just how much there is to like besides the fishy finale. The audio commentary by the Canuxploitation.com team points out Petrie and producer Sanford Howard's goals of technical realism, designing the sub and underwater lab to actual scientific specs. And the cast sells every plot point, no matter how ridiculous. Backing them up is a bombastically catchy Lalo Schifrin score (included on an isolated track) that gives the entire production a deceptively huge sense of scale.

Additional extras include a never before released alternate score by William McCauley, archival Making Of featurette (with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, an animated still montage, trailer, teaser and TV spots.