Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster

If you only loosely followed the headlines of the Titan submersible disaster, you'll probably find some interesting discussions about the delamination and negligence on previous dives leading up to the fatal implosion. If you actively followed and read as much as you could, this documentary offers little new information. One thing that feels left out entirely is technical details about the hull's construction and design. There are videos of the actual Titan hull being wound in carbon, with discussions from the designers who assisted in production of the hull with Stockton - yet that is completely absent from this documentary. Where are those people today and why were they never interviewed by the USCG?

The bulk of this documentary focuses on portraying Stockton as a narcissist who ignores all warnings and safety, to parallel the USCG's investigation that inevitably will draw the same conclusion. The interviews don't seem like they're acknowledging the whole truth, or are leaving out certain details. There seems more to the story that we are not being told. Ultimately Stockton may be responsible, but one man was not able to design, build, and operate a submersible sub without the assistance of at least a hundred other people over the last decade. The documentary also leaves out that OceanGate operated other submersibles.

This documentary is 90 minutes of "Stockton bad", instead of 90 minutes of telling the story beyond Stockton, which is what a lot of people wanted.

This TV documentary was rushed to compete and be released ahead of Netflix's competing product "Titan: The Oceangate Disaster". It focuses on the Coast Guard hearings crew members and lacks key Oceangate people that Netflix snatched first and locked into a contract. Some bad moments are interviewing a diversity hire person that gives no relevant information about the investigation and stock footage of an airplane doing a loop being shown to buy time. And this is in the 60 minutes version. Ouch. The only triumph of this documentary is the exclusive footage of a key moment in the tragedy (and they show it twice).

The arrogance of stockton rush was what doomed the Titan. This man had a lot of money and convinced others that he knew what he was doing when in fact he fired anyone who contradicted him in anyway. He said he didn't want a bunch of "old white men" constructing the Titan because he knew better. He used carbon fiber when he was told it most likely wouldn't hold after numerous dives and the people who told him were fired. He claimed to want this to be "accessible to everyone" but only if you had the money to do so. In the end he killed 4 people with his arrogance and I for one am happy he was on the Titan when it met its demise.

The documentary tells the story of OceanGate and the thrill seekers who apparently aren't claustrophobic. How anyone could feel safe locked in a vessel such as that is beyond me. It also brings others who had an obligation to act (but didn't) to the forefront of this strange odyssey. With the exception of Josh Gates and the men and women of the USCG, everyone else who was interviewed seem like they're still hiding details, or just don't have a conscience. They all continue pointing the finger at Stockton, yet they were all part of the team, they just can't accept responsibility.

And who on earth was responsible for the on-screen effects? Every time they show a date they immediately rewind it 1, 2 or 3 years. Just show the date as it is, it's extremely annoying.

Two years after the OceanGate tragedy gripped the world, HBO finally delivers a polished, official-looking documentary on the implosion that captivated headlines and imaginations. When it happened, the internet became a living archive - I couldn't stop digging, watching, reading. It was morbid, yes, but impossible to ignore. The kind of real-life disaster that lingers, then fades - until something brings it roaring back.

This documentary could've been that something.

The production is slick, the archival footage gripping - debris fields, deep-sea dives, voices from past expeditions. But the interviews don't land. Some are vague, others feel staged. You're left sensing there's more behind the eyes of the people speaking, and that the truth is hiding just off-camera. The tone leans into drama, and not in the good way. It cheapens the weight of what really happened.

There was a story here that needed telling. This version gets close - but never quite reaches the depth.