Would You Watch Apple’s Immersive Movie?

Is this the future of movie-watching? We hope not… Apple Vision is the tech giant’s spooky new futuristic device which blends digital content with your real physical surroundings through a pair of chunky goggles. It’s very sci-fi. (Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, to be precise.) And now Apple has unveiled a short film designed especially for its augmented reality glasses. Here’s what you can expect from Submerged. But would you watch it?

Submerged: Apple’s Immersive Short Film

Apple Vision users have criticised the device’s lack of games and apps – but the platform’s first film, Submerged, has received positive reactions. It’s the first film designed specifically for Apple Vision Pro, and it totally immerses users in the world of the film.

Set aboard a submarine, Submerged is the first in a series of unfolding plans from Apple, which has revealed immersive video from the NBA and singer The Weeknd (aptly titled Concert For One, with an episode starring RAYE already streaming) are also on the way. Meanwhile, films including Dune (2021) and Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022) have been available to watch on Apple Vision in newly created immersive environments since the device’s launch in February 2024.

What Is Submerged About?

Written by All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) director Edward Berger, Submerged is a WWII-era film set in the US, centring on a submarine crew as they fight to survive combat. Because this is immersive, viewers are placed right in the claustrophobic submarine along with the crew, viscerally witnessing a nail-biting battle as it unfolds around them.

‘Apple Immersive Video allows Apple Vision Pro users around the world to experience the next generation of sports, documentaries, and music performances. With Submerged, an immersive film from visionary director Edward Berger, we’re excited to premiere the next generation of narrative filmmaking,’ says Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications. ‘Vision Pro places you in the middle of the story – inside a densely packed submarine, shoulder to shoulder with its crew. That deep sense of immersion just wasn’t possible before, and we can’t wait to see how it inspires filmmakers to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.’

‘Apple Immersive Video is a wonderful new medium that expands the horizon of storytelling,’ adds director Edward Berger. ‘Apple Vision Pro inspired me to tell a story in a way that just wasn’t possible before, and in the process, it changed the way my team and I think about creating a story. This immersive technology pioneered by Apple is going to change the future of filmmaking.’

Submerged was filmed in Prague, Brussel and Malta, using a life size 23-tonne submarine modelled on WWII era vessels, made with real steel, brass and other metals.

Is It Worth $3,500?

That’s the Apple Vision Pro price tag – and how much you’d have to pay to watch Submerged for yourself. The short film is exclusively available on Apple Vision, and it’s an intriguing foray into video when most users are demanding more apps and games, not video. Likewise, Apple’s streaming platform Apple TV+ is notorious for failing to promote its star-studded content effectively, and even recently revealed it was entering a content partnership with Prime Video in the US to boost viewing figures. Perhaps the tech giant is spreading itself a little thin…

Would You Watch An Immersive Movie?

The beauty of film is often the company. But the unique selling point of video on Apple Vision is the solitary experience. Is a film much fun if you can’t talk to anyone about it? Only time will tell – but it seems Apple is investing in immersive video regardless of whether anyone is watching.