Despite the general lack of exploration into such worlds, ocean planets are not an entirely foreign concept. Sure, they are entirely fictional – or so we humans like to believe – but that has not stopped Hollywood or Bollywood from pursuing their own endeavors into such mythical terrains.

Yet, maybe there is a reason why treks into fantastical terrains of aquatic worlds are left hung-up to dry; perhaps your everyday moviegoer just doesn’t care too much for underwater adventures, or maybe such films cost too darn much to make. After all, just ask Kevin Costner how his bank account looked like after diving head-first into Waterworld.

Of course, that was 1995. Now it is 2009, and a few big-shots in India felt the time is ripe for another aquatic adventure that manages to stay afloat above the abyss and steers clear of cutthroat pirates in the islands of the Caribbean. This time around, the likes of Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Katrina Kaif hope their recent production of Blue will stay afloat like James Cameron and Ed Harris’s The Abyss lore and Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean fame, and will not sink to the sharp crevices of the dark ocean floor like Kevin Costner’s Waterworld or Geena Davis’s Cutthroat Island.

In fact, the Bollywood production team behind Blue genuinely hopes this undersea action-adventure is not a repeat of Waterworld, even though it shares a dubious honor with its Hollywood brethren of the aquatic. Just like Waterworld in 1995, Blue apparently holds the honor of most expensive movie ever made in Bollywood – yes, even more expensive than the previous movie which held the throne, Love Story 2050 (also considered to be Bollywood’s biggest flop of all time).

Just what, exactly, did debutant director Anthony D’Souza do at the helm of Blue to separate the film from two of the most expensive flops of all time in Waterworld and Love Story 2050?

Akshay Kumar

For starters, D’Souza is banking on his cast to draw in moviegoers, what with A-list stars such as Kumar, Dutt, Kaif and Lara Dutta hopping on board for this mega-aquatic adventure. Yet big names did not prevent Waterworld, Love Story 2050 or even Cutthroat Island (with Matthew Modine joining Davis on screen) from plunging to the depths of the deep blue sea. So D’Souza whips out his second wild card – Diwali.

With one of India’s biggest holidays kicking off the same weekend as the release of Blue, D’Souza is banking upon large audiences in the same way Hollywood productions rely on Christmas Day for box-office revenue – in fact, at least financially, this film should fare well, as it opens on Diwali weekend.

Beyond that, there may actually be some value to watching Blue, a film that claims to be on par with any Hollywood mega-production, once the moviegoer actually gets comfortable in his or her multiplex seat.

The first-ever Bollywood underwater adventure, Blue will ultimately draw butts into seats not because of its star power or opening during a holiday season but instead because of its uniqueness and inventiveness – at least for Indian audiences.

As moviegoers all across the South Asian subcontinent make use of their holiday weekends to explore uncharted territory, the sheer novelty of villains and heroes fighting underwater is sure to enchant audiences the same way Thunderball did in 1965.

Though, unlike the film’s cousins of James Bond and Jack Sparrow, all the bells and whistles of Blue seem to focus more on action and less on adventure. From that perspective, even Cutthroat Island and Waterworld may have a substantive edge over this sea-filled Bollywood “adventure.”

Highlighting Blue are five major action sequences, including three motorbike chases (a la Dhoom or Torque), a boxing duel between Dutt and Kumar (a la Christian Slater and John Travolta in Broken Arrow), and, of course, an all-out brawl 20,000 leagues beneath the sea (a la finale action sequence in Thunderball).

What happens between the action sequences is the simplest of plots – Blue is your basic treasure hunt, with the goods fittingly buried in the depths of the coolly violent tides of the vast oceans beyond the exotic shores of India.

As the movie plays out, it becomes obvious Blue is less substance and more style – think a tuxedo-wearing Roger Moore scraping the Mediterranean Sea floor in a Lotus-turned submarine, not a scuba-diving Sean Connery dodging harpoons and a speeding yacht below the aquatic depths of the Bahamas.

Technically speaking, Blue is thumbs-up, with stunning action sequences that provide thrills at 1,000 kilos per hour combined with believable underwater sequences and bikini-clad women in Kaif and Dutta.

As for the actual acting, none of the A-listers stand out, per se. In fact, D’Souza managed to work each of the five big names (including Zayed Khan) with equal screen time, with no one star really having the opportunity to define the movie with his or her role. Yet, with a plot that is on the light side, equal screen time and limited character development is not really an issue for Blue.

Quite the contrary, an egalitarian approach to screen-time may actually work to the actor’s advantage, especially since this film focuses more on visually arresting the moviegoer and captivating their imagination as opposed to their critical thinking skills.

Indeed, there are definitely a few moments where those critical thinking and analytical skills should be left at the door, what with two or three logic-defying scenes sprayed throughout the film.

Ultimately, Blue is probably the year’s most visually captivating film, with a heavy emphasis on high-octane action and skimpily-clad leading ladies, perfectly mixed with just the right amount of unbelievable stunts and glamorous storytelling.

With Blue, expect the ultimate thrill-ride. The film opens today worldwide.