So, I just finished watching Titan: The OceanGate Disaster on Netflix, directed by Mark Monroe, and man, it’s a wild ride. The doc, which dropped on June 11, 2025, after hitting the Tribeca Festival, digs into the 2023 Titan submersible implosion that killed five people on a dicey trip to the Titanic wreck. It’s got exclusive footage and some jaw-dropping whistleblower stories that pull you right into OceanGate’s trainwreck. I was hooked, but I gotta say, it’s so laser-focused on the CEO’s ego that it kinda misses the bigger picture. Here’s my take.
A Tragedy That Hits Hard
The Titan disaster was all over the news in June 2023 when the submersible imploded 3,800 meters under the Atlantic, taking out OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, billionaires Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood, and Dawood’s 19-year-old son, Suleman. The film walks you through how it all went wrong, from ignored red flags to sketchy engineering. Interviews with former OceanGate employees like David Lochridge, who blew the whistle on safety issues, and some never-seen company footage make it feel like you’re right there watching the disaster unfold.
I was legit creeped out by moments like the 2019 test dive where the hull was making these awful cracking sounds or the 2022 “loud acoustic event” that screamed trouble with the carbon-fiber hull. The doc plays audio of the hull “popping” alongside graphs showing its weaknesses, and it gave me chills. They didn’t need to throw in dramatic reenactments—the real stuff was intense enough.
Stockton Rush: Big Dreams, Bigger Problems
Stockton Rush is the guy this whole story revolves around, and wow, does he come off as a piece of work. He’s this rich, charismatic dreamer who wanted to be the next big thing, like a deep-sea Elon Musk. The film shows him shrugging off safety rules, saying they “needlessly” slowed down innovation. Former employees, like Lochridge and Emily Hasmmermeister, talk about how he’d fire or ignore anyone who dared question him. There’s even a story about him joking that the company accountant could be the lead pilot. Like, what?
Rush’s confidence in the archival clips is almost hypnotic, but it’s also infuriating knowing where it led. The doc makes him the ultimate villain, and I get it—he made some terrible calls. But I kept waiting for the film to zoom out a bit. Why were people so obsessed with this story? What does it say about our weird fascination with rich folks taking crazy risks? It just sticks to “Rush was reckless,” which feels like only half the story.
What I Liked, What I Didn’t
The best part for me was the insider stuff. Lochridge’s story—he got sued by OceanGate after trying to warn OSHA—is gut-wrenching, and journalist Mark Harris lays out the facts like a pro. The company’s own footage, from test dives to meetings, makes you feel like a fly on the wall. There’s this one moment where they sync the hull’s creaking sounds with data showing it was falling apart, and I was on the edge of my seat.
But at almost two hours, it dragged a bit. They kept hammering Rush’s arrogance, and I was like, “Okay, I get it!” The true-crime style—big titles like “The Whistleblower” and a dramatic synth score—felt a little overdone, like they were trying too hard to make it a thriller. And I was bummed they barely touched on the other victims. I wanted to know more about Nargeolet, Harding, and the Dawoods, but they’re barely mentioned, which made the story feel a bit lopsided. Some reviews, like in The Guardian, liked that it didn’t get too gory, but others, like The Wrap, called it “too soon and too late” for not adding anything new.
My Verdict
Honestly, Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is a solid watch that lays out how Rush’s refusal to certify the sub or listen to experts, plus loopholes in international waters, led to a tragedy that didn’t have to happen. If you’re new to the story or love a good “what went wrong” tale, you’ll eat it up. But if you’ve read the deep dives in places like WIRED or The New Yorker, it might feel like a recap of stuff you already know.
The New York Times called it a decent rundown but nothing mind-blowing, and Variety compared it to Grizzly Man for showing a dreamer’s downfall. I agree it’s gripping, but I wish it had dug into why this story hit so hard or how the system let it happen. It’s like they told the story of Rush’s ego but forgot to ask the bigger questions.
Should You Watch It?
If you’re into real-life cautionary tales or just want to understand how this disaster went down, it’s totally worth your time. The footage and interviews make it feel alive, and it’s a stark reminder of what happens when ambition runs wild. Just don’t expect it to dive as deep as the Titan did—or answer every question you might have.
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes. Rated: TV-MA. Streaming on Netflix.