A review of Submerged, Apple's first scripted short film shot in Immersive Video for the Vision Pro: technologically impressive, but an isolating experience
this could change the way we watch movies Tess Ryan / MakeUseOf : Will a 15-Minute Film Make You Buy an Apple Vision Pro? The Company Thinks So Neil Cybart / Above Avalon : Apple Releases First Scripted Film in Apple Immersive Video, Thoughts After Watching “Submerged,” The Future of Video Scott Stein / CNET : Apple Vision Pro's First Scripted Film Locked Me in a WWII Submarine Matt Swider / The Shortcut : I watched Submerged, Apple Vision Pro's first immersive film. It's a 17-minute thriller with depth Mike Wuerthele / AppleInsider : Apple's ‘Submerged’ for Apple Vision Pro is submarine warfare terror in the comfort of your home Bryan Alexander / USA Today : Does Apple's ‘Submerged,’ the first short film made for Vision Pro headset, sink or swim? Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter : Why Oscar Winner Edward Berger Made His Latest Film For Apple Vision Pro Devon Dundee / MacStories : Apple Releases Immersive Short Film Submerged and Announces Upcoming Immersive Content Scott Hayden / Road to VR : Apple Releases ‘Submerged’ Short Film on Vision Pro, Announces Upcoming Content with The Weeknd, NBA & More Threads: Parker Ortolani / @parkerortolani : Just watched Submerged on Vision Pro. It was pretty incredible. Visually lives up to the expectations of what we wanted to get out of the hardware, no question. But still, it was super short. Was bummed when it was over. Mastodon: Casey Liss / @caseyliss@mastodon.social : I've seen Apple's new “Submerged” immersive ~17-minute short film for the Vision Pro. As well as the making of. — • I want all action movies to be like this — • This is the kind of interest I want Apple to show in the platform — • Why was *every* AVP on set sporting the Developer Strap? … @jsnell@zeppelin.flights : “Submerged” is really smart. The director made some very clever choices that work well in the Immersive format, including use of depth of field, reverse angle cuts so the geography is familiar, close-ups, careful camera moves (mostly pushing in/pulling out)... really well made. … Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : ‘Where are all the Vision Pro apps?’ begins and ends with Apple. Is this a computer, or is it a fancy Apple TV for rich people? Where is Pages and Numbers? Swift Playgrounds? Final Cut, Logic? iMovie? Native ports of Maps? Reminders? Calendar? Podcasts? Books? … Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : “It'll get better later” is not a strategy, because developers and users will have long made up their mind before then. Once that bozo bit flips... X: Artur Sychov / @asychov : Woah... 🤯 Apple has done it again! I've just watched the #SUBMERGED immersive movie in #AppleVisionPro and it is one of the most immersive storytelling experiences I have ever seen. So cool to know that it was filmed in Czech Republic 🇨🇿 to see many Czech names in credits ❤️ [image] Kent Bye / @kentbye : @ariel_emeraldVR I'd say many of the other Apple Immersive videos released so far do a better job, but they're also much more documentary focused. But I think Charlotte Mikkelborg's Adventure episode did a great job. Any of Felix and Paul's pieces are incredible, and especially Traveling While @m1astra : @SadlyItsBradley This is new, good catch Ian Panchèvre / @ianpanchevre : Just watched Submerged on Apple Vision Pro. Wow. Wow. Wow. Immersive media is so obviously the future of storytelling. Rafael Torres / @metaversozoeira : I just watched submerged on Apple Vision Pro in immersive videos and it was amazing, speechless! Sound, image quality and I was apprehensive, I lived as if inside the submarine. Incredible! [image] Brad Lynch / @sadlyitsbradley : @kentbye I feel 100% the same way. Watched it in the cropped window mode due to these reasons Mark Bozon / @markbozon : Just got done watching Submerged, the 17 minute Apple Vision Pro short film that just launched at midnight. Lots to love, and some great lessons around 180 immersive filmmaking and storytelling. Excited to see the space evolve! Congrats to all my old colleagues at @Apple. ✌️ [image] Ariel Emerald / @ariel_emeraldvr : @kentbye Interested in this. What is an example of an immersive film that you would say doesnt fall victim to these flaws? (not that I have a vision pro yet to try them lol) Neil Cybart / @neilcybart : With Apple Immersive Video, consumers have access *today* to groundbreaking technology that is truly mesmerizing. It's unlike anything that we have experienced in the past. We don't always need to wait for the future to arrive. Brad Lynch / @sadlyitsbradley : When did Apple Immersive Video add the ability to fade in/out your arms and hands when you look at the UI Is this is a new feature of the 2.1 beta? Or have I missed this every time? [video] @vyyyper : I literally JUST finished watching this and OMG!!! This was CRAZY!! I felt like I was actually IN the middle of a survival horror game! It felt SOOO REAL!! Please Apple make MORE of THESE!!!! Shit it was INCREDIBLE!!!! Nikias Molina / @nikiasmolina : I can't express enough how Submerged will change cinema forever. It's the start of a new era. It's the best experience of Apple Vision Pro and that wasn't an easy task. @climbinsidegame : Just watched Submerged on the vision pro. A new milestone for 3D home video. It is an action packed short that had me terrified. It is a better viewing experience than iMax or anything I've seen before, especially factoring in seating in a theatre, etc. Ben Geskin / @bengeskin : THIS IS NEXT LEVEL 🤯 I just watched Submerged - the first scripted film captured in Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro. It's incredible. I think it's the best immersive video I've ever seen. Unreal video quality, locations, angles, story, actors, sound, Spatial Audio - [image] @m1astra : This is by far the best piece of immersive content Apple has released. It's almost unsettling how real it feels—you won't fully understand until you watch it. This should absolutely be a part of Apple's in store Vision Pro demos. @dk15779516 : @SadlyItsBradley why tho ....correct lighting on your hands from the environment is better ...saving resources maybe Nikias Molina / @nikiasmolina : Apple is CHANGING cinema forever. THIS IS INSANE. IT FELS LIKE YOU'RE INSIDE OF THE ACTION. IT'S IMMERSIVE. Submerged will be the first scripted film in Apple Immersive Video. Watch only on Apple Vision Pro on October 10. [video] @appleinsider : We're probably the only Apple-centric site with someone who served on submarines on staff, so let's talk about Apple's new Immersive Video “Submerged.” By @mike_wuerthele https://appleinsider.com/... Kent Bye / @kentbye : I just watched the SUBMERGED film & definitely check it out if you have an Apple Vision Pro. After watching well over 1000 immersive stories over the past decade, then I have some thoughts: SUBMERGED feels like it's using a little bit too much film grammar that doesn't always work with 180 video... Brad Lynch / @sadlyitsbradley : @DK15779516 They used to not even let you see your arms and hands at all in this mode I've been told it because they want to drive the displays at a higher brightness during these HDR movies without worrying about making the duty cycle too low Ben Geskin / @bengeskin : @connorjewiss @AppleTV This film is 17 minutes long, which I think is a good length for most people. For this kind of content, 30 minutes seems like a solid limit for the near future. Once Vision gets smaller, lighter, and more comfortable, then we can talk about longer runtimes, imo @collider : Apple Invented a New Camera To Capture Footage for the Vision Pro and Its Incredible https://collider.com/... @writermcg : I just watched Submerged, @Apple first immersive movie. My first thought is that the approach to drama is going to have to change now that the intimacy is as if the human beings are directly in front of you in photo realistic 3-D — less is no longer more. [image] Neil Cybart / @neilcybart : Earlier today, Apple released “Submerged,” its first scripted film captured in Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro. I pre-screened “Submerged” along with a new Immersive Video film of the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. My initial impressions from “Submerged” are found below. @alexlindsay : Apple Vision Pro - “Submerged” is the highest quality 180 footage I have ever seen. - Not sure I like the extreme closeups or extreme wides. But the middle is incredible. - Surprised that cuts worked - Camera moves make you uncomfortable by design - amazing. More please. Justin Ryan / @justinryanio : Apple's new immersive video, Submerged, is a masterpiece! For a closer look at how they pulled it off don't miss the Bonus video The Making of Submerged. Shot on location in Prague, Brussels, and Malta, it involved a 23-ton submarine set made to withstand being fully submerged. [video] Scott Stein / @jetscott : Submerged is Apple's first scripted Vision Pro Immersive Video - I saw an early screening that felt like I was suddenly onboard the sub myself. Also spoke w director Edward Berger about what it was like to make a film for the format: https://www.cnet.com/... Forums: r/VisionPro : “Submerged” review (Spoiler Free) r/apple : Apple Launches ‘Submerged’ Short Film for Vision Pro, Outlines Upcoming Content
Context & Ripple Effects
Vision Pro launched with a roster of streaming and sports apps, some offering 3D titles, but its video proposition initially leaned on existing formats rather than native narrative productions. The launch app lineup established distribution; Submerged tests whether Apple Immersive Video can supply a distinct reason to use the headset.
The format had already shown promise in user-recorded footage, where spatial video captured on an iPhone 15 Pro was described as unusually realistic. A scripted, location-shot short raises the harder question of whether that technical immediacy translates to cinema without making viewing feel solitary.
First-order effects
- Apple gains its first scripted proof point for Apple Immersive Video on Vision Pro, while headset owners get a native film designed around the format rather than a conventional 3D catalog title.
- The review’s split verdict—technically impressive but isolating—makes social comfort and storytelling fit immediate constraints on the film’s persuasive value as a Vision Pro showcase.
Second-order effects
- Filmmakers and production teams evaluating Immersive Video now have a concrete scripted reference, but must weigh the specialized capture workflow against a roughly 17-minute format and a single-viewer experience.
- Apple’s planned Immersive Video projects with The Weeknd and the NBA face a higher burden: they need to demonstrate that native programming can offer repeatable value beyond a one-off technical demonstration.
Third-order effects
- If native immersive films remain best suited to short, individual sessions, headset video may develop as a premium companion format rather than a replacement for shared, feature-length viewing.
- The key competitive question shifts from display immersion alone to whether platforms can build an economically sustainable pipeline of exclusive immersive programming—an instance of Vision Pro’s premium-positioned launch strategy and the broader need for a capability step-change beyond gaming in AR/VR.
The trend: Spatial-computing platforms are moving from hardware-led demos toward exclusive native media, where repeatable viewing habits—not visual novelty alone—will determine adoption.