Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:54:32

Bad in a bad way

The studios make lots of trash that gets buried in unmarked graves, showing up on local channels with lots of commercial interruptions (but showing the same couple of commercials over and over), leading us to wonder, "was this movie ever in theatres?" This movie is just bad. It is very suspicious that this unremarkable bad movie should attract so many reviews, and that they are overwhelmingly positive. There are a few inexpensive special effects created with care (the ocean liner model that gets blown up, the computer graphic tentacle monster). The monster is an extremely slithery version of the alien in Alien, you know, it opens an orifice in what is supposed to be its head and then there's another head (or whatever). Every time the creature bursts into a room, it looks the same. The riding around on the jet ski in the boat at the end is some terrible low budget movie making. Not a classic bad movie, but bad enough to regret wasting time watching it.

blaircam 2012-05-24 12:38:29

Go in expecting little - then be pleasantly surprised

If you're looking for something kinda fun, not too serious and with a bit ofaction/adventure/thills then this just could be the film foryou.Don't expect it to be quality or classy - it just isn't. But it is fun andentertaining.Now Famke is, in my humble opinion, one of the best in the business at whatshe does - namely look good and get the job done without pretensions atbeing mega-star.Treat, on the other hand, was not my idea of a leading man in such anadventure tale. This is highlighted no better then in the final scenes onthe beach (I agree that Joey shouldn't have shown up) where Famke is lookinglovely but slightly bedraggled as befits someone whose just been throughwhat they have - but Treat looks like he's just stepped out of the make-upcaravan!I think its really worth a watch for a no-brainer relaxing evening on thecouch.My vote 6/10

James J. Dominguez 2012-05-24 07:14:17

Citizen Kane it ain't, but pure entertainment none the less!

I finally found a widescreen DVD version of this recently andre-watched it. It's still one of the best examples I have seen of pure,unpretentious cheesy entertainment. It's not great art, by any means,but it's fun.I did some reading online and found that, on its release, Deep Risingwas universally trashed by the critics, and Roger Ebert lists it as oneof the worst films ever made. Seriously? Did we all watch the samemovie? Sure, it's big and dumb and loud and flashy and completelyunbelievable, but lots of films are all of those things but stillmanage to find an audience and a modicum of critical recognition.Sommers's later films have managed to succeed despite being, in myopinion, inferior films (especially the truly awful Mummy Returns andVan Helsing).It has so much going for it. The core cast are just fantastic -Williams is charismatic and tough, Janssen is gorgeous but smart,O'Connor has some of the funniest and most quotable lines, Studi has agreat air of danger about him - and most of the support players aredecent, if not outstanding. The script isn't deep or complex, but it'svery tightly written and full of great one-liners and exchanges.The effects hold up fairly well, apart from a few crappy ragdolls andsome dodgy composites. The basic monster design it really quite cool,especially the creepy way in which the closed tentacles move.The level of vitriol directed at this movie just baffles me. Honestly,why all the hate from the mainstream critics? Deep Rising is a big dumbaction movie, but I think it's about as good as that genre gets.8 out of 10 from me.

Rob Taylor 2012-05-24 00:33:29

Tremendous fun without getting too serious.

Stephen Sommers has been responsible for some good action-adventure filmsover the last few years - The Mummy, The Mummy Returns etc and also someawful stinkers - Van Helsing. Deep Rising falls somewhere in the middle, butdefinitely on the "more good than bad" side.It doesn't take itself seriously, there's precious little characterdevelopment, and the CGI is a bit ropey in places. Despite this, it succeedsat entertaining mainly through the likeability of its main characters -Treat Williams, Famke Jansen, Kevin O'Connor and a host of others whompeople will recall seeing "someplace" before, but not rememberwhere.The action is fairly non-stop and silly, but stops short of Van Helsing'sridiculous cartoonish-ness. As mentioned, the cast are all actually likeable(even the bad guys) and do their roles (however one-dimensional) justice.Nobody sucks and it genuinely looks like they had a good time making themovie.It's not as good as Sommers' now classic The Mummy, but I'd rate it at leastas enjoyable as The Mummy Returns (though without the hideous CGI"end-of-level" monster - so maybe it's a little better) and of course, DeepRising is much better than Van Helsing.What this has taught me is that Sommers can produce some rip-roaringadventure movies, but he must maintain the focus on the story and not getoverly ambitious, and not rely on CGI to cover his ass. Also, wonderfulthough Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale are, they are not the right kind ofactors for a Sommers movie. Treat Williams, Kevin O'Connor, Brendan Fraserand others are just the sort of actor he should keep to when making thesesorts of movies - in other words, actors who don't take themselves tooseriously when in such roles.In summary then, Deep Rising is entertaining stuff. Don't think too hard andyou'll enjoy it tremendously, especially if you liked TheMummy.

peterbp 2012-05-18 00:37:53

Quite enjoyable B-link non-B monster movie!

On seeing this one again, I had some vague memories of seeing amiserably bad movie, but this isn't it (I probably mentally confusedwith 'Speed 2'; also, the female eye candy in this flick is better thanSandra Bullock).The plot of this is same-old-same-old yuck-yuck monster movie (thinkSOS Poseidon + Leviathan + Aliens and mix in some humor), but scenery,acting and execution is good enough to make it quite entertaining, andthe corniness of the plot actually turns to a plus for entertainmentvalue.I'd definitely recommend it, also because it has Australians in it :)

2012-05-17 13:48:24

Deep Rising is fun and entertaining

While not trying to answer the meaning of life, Deep Rising does what it's trying to do, and that's entertain. Director Stephen Sommers (who went on to better things after the relentlessly entertaining The Mummy) injects enough action, humor, and cheap thrills to keep the average viewer from being bored. This is the sort of movie to watch by yourself or a friend or two on a late Friday night.The plot is cliched enough as it borrows unashamedly from the Alien films, Die Hard, Titanic, Tremors, and The Poseidon Adventure. It's basically about these terrorists led by Wes Studi who are trying to hi-jack a cruise ship called the Argonautica. Along for the ride are Finnegan (Treat Williams) and Pantucci (Kevin J. O'Connor) who quickly discover that the Argonautica is empty. Discovering a few more survivors including a jewel thief (Famke Janssen), they find out there is a creature on board that is feeding off of them and the survivors must do what they can to get off alive.Deep Rising is not meant to be taken the least bit seriously unlike other creature features like the Alien films and Pitch Black (which I very much highly recommend you watch). Instead, Stephen Sommers keeps his tongue firmly tucked in his cheek, leading to a campy cruise most reminiscent of Tremors. If there's at least one thing to credit Deep Rising for, it has the look of a summer blockbuster. The 50 million dollar budget is large (especially for a campy action/horror film) and all the special effects are put to good use. The creature effects are well done and makes for a fun encounter between the survivors and the creature's main body. Rob Bottin, noted for the gory effects in The Thing, succeeds again though the creation in this film may not be as well remembered as some of his other works.Deep Rising is an action film so expect plenty of that. While it's not terribly original action, they're full of enough tension to keep anybody from dozing off.As for acting, this isn't exactly a first-rate cast. Wes Studi is an underrated actor and he probably deserves betteer work. The same goes for Djimon Honsou in a short appearance. Treat Williams looks like he's having a lot of fun and he is a charismatic hero. Kevin J. O'Connor, no matter how annoying, is still good comic relief, though Famke Janssen delivers a rather poor performance, even in a movie of this sort. So long as you watch this film with the realization that it isn't meant to be taken seriously, you'll have fun with it. It's no classic by any means but you could do a lot worse.

Phroggy 2012-05-15 17:07:17

Squid hard ?

This one is obviously some "Die Hard"-meet-"Titanic"-Meet-"whatever",but despite its shortcomings, it is good, unpretentious fun.Mainly because the characters are well drown and almostbelievable, including a guy who looks much like the "RoadWarrior" helicopter pilot, and the "bad guys" looks straight outof a Spaghetti western. The final appearance of the monstermight makes you yell "count the pixels !", but is a goodsurprise, as well as the final joke.

jh87 2012-05-15 00:11:22

Poor animation, but 2 great actors save the movie, quite good fun

Decent enough sci-fi action movie from the director of `Jungle Book'. Agroup of thieves land on the world's most luxurious cruise ship to adistinct lack of holiday reps and masses of mutant creatures. Battles,betrayals, and slightly unnecessary love interests soon ensue, leavingthefew survivors working desperately together to escape the ship.One of the most noticeable faults in the film is the monsters, they don'tlook right, they do look impressive enough in their own right, but theydon't fit in correctly, it usually looks as though the actors are merelystanding in front of a big play station screen.Films of this sort really need great characters to keep you interested(seethe `Aliens' series), otherwise it just slips into generic drive inviewingmaterial.This film only has 2 great characters Mulligan (Jason Flemyng-Snatch,LockStock And 2 Smoking Barrels, From Hell) and Joey (Kevin J.O'Connor-TheMummy) who for me really made the film, both great to watch and they bothreally had the look for their parts.A big mistake was pushing them out the limelight for John Finnegan (TreatWilliams) who isn't necessarily bad in this film, but poor scripting, andwhat looks like a lack of effort make him a very unconvincing hero.Overall I was pretty entertained by this film, it reminded me quite a bitof`Alien: Resurrection', I think fans of the genre will appreciate thisfilmto some extent.My rating: 7/10

Maitland McDonagh 2012-05-05 21:38:16

Goes for two and three climaxes, blows up far too many things, and generally wears out its welcome before it's over.

2012-05-05 03:07:34

There Should Be One More Star Reserved For This Movie (#6)

Deep Rising was a creepy-crawly, slithering, edge of your seat, hellatious ride all packed into one movie that holds your eyes to the screen until all is said and done!

2012-05-04 05:20:47

Great suspense and action sequences

Deep Rising might not be a classic horror/action movie along with others such as Jaws or The Sixth Sense, but it's still a good movie. Really, it's more of a B-movie than a regular blockbuster. It's about some hijackers that board a rich cruise ship hoping to find some jewelry, but they soon find out that some mysterious monster has killed most of the passengers. The two groups of people eventually have to join forces once they all see the monster and know that it's what's making all the other people disappear mysteriously. The constructor of the cruise ship is also on board and helps everybody by telling them which way they need to go to escape from the octopus. Deep Rising is one of the best B-movies to come out in a long time. The suspense is the best part of it and the special effects are also good. Unlike many movies, when you finally get to see the monster up close, it's not a disappointment. Joey is hilarious and gives the movie a comedy twist that makes it even better. All the way from the first sign of the monster to the end sequence where Treat Williams and Famke Jennsen have to ride a jet ski to get away from the monstrous explosions of the ship, Deep Rising is non-stop action and suspense. If you like horror/action movies with a lot of suspense and non-stop action sequences, give Deep Rising a chance.

Wayne-51 2012-05-03 11:38:16

A+ for B-grade.....

The entertainment value of this flick is superb. How can you go wrongwithsimple sci-fi attributes, a low budget cast, high budget monster effects,score by Jerry Goldsmith and a mindless yet enjoyable script??! Fun, fun,fun. Campy at times, Evil dead gore at times and sinful guffaws the wholeway thru. If you are looking for something that will pleasantly surpriseyou, this is it.If you liked the new 1999 version of THE MUMMY (Brendan Fraser) then youwill like this (it was directed by the same guy, Stephen Sommers). In mypersonal opinion DEEP RISING is the better movie so....... Don't expectthesame movie, just the same amount of fun.Ignore the mainstream critics (though some of them liked it!) and indulgeyourself in a great movie that was in the theatre for twoweekends....enjoy!

2012-04-27 16:58:07

Good Fun

Some people just take movies too seriously, this movie was not meant to be a Oscar winning drama, It is a fun popcorn movie that you can laugh at and has cool special effects and dialog. I am convinced that the majority of the critics who trashed this movie have just been so jaded by all the crap they have seen they just destroy any movie that does not surprise them or shock them with something new. This movie does no try to be anything it is not and that is just a fun adventure flick. So just relax and enhoy it.

nicerobot 2012-04-27 12:00:28

It doesn't get any worse

Getting a tooth pulled would be more pleasurable than watching this joke. The 100 % CGI Creature looks like it came from a bad video game and doesn'tblend in with the rest of the movie at ALL (especially when it's combined inscenes with human actors). That combined with a dumb plot and shallowcharacters makes this a must miss. This film and parts of the new Star WarsEpisodes are excellent examples of how CGI can ruin a picture. Don't getme wrong - I love CGI when it's done right (Lord of the Rings series, ect. )but there's just too many movies out there lately that have been abusing thetechnology and loosing credibility in the process. Know what Imean???

2012-04-25 00:50:58

Not a bad flick, certainly not as bad as critics say.

You don't need a well-developed brain capacity to get the gist of "Deep Rising," but it's not without its perks. The plot is pure contrivance and formula, relying on throwing its characters into situation after situation with little regard for originality or intelligence. But there is suspense to be had with the movie, and this use of non-stop action keeps it moving at a pace that keeps it enjoyable on a level which requires little thought. There is a surprising amount of intensity, but what really sells me on this movie is the witty dialogue from the cast and the nicely-crafted special effects. The movie opens with two separate stories, one involving a water transport service led by John Finnegan, who is unaware that his passengers are transporting massive firearms to their undisclosed destination. This revelation sparks a takeover of the boat by the gruff passengers, leaving Finnegan and his two crew members, Joey and Leila, at their mercy. As this is happening, the new cruise ship Argonautica is out on its maiden voyage until a mysterious person tampers with the computer mainframe of the vessel and causes the ship to lose any and all control. To complicate matters for the passengers, the ship is brought to a terrifyingly jolting halt, accompanied by spooky noises from outside the ship's hull. The two stories converge at this point, as Finnegan's vessel arrives at its destination: the disabled cruise ship, at which point everyone but one of the bandits and Leila board the ship. Armed with machine guns and a vast array of weapons, they search the ship from top to bottom, only to discover that the passengers are nowhere in sight, save for the beautiful Trillian St. James, a seductively crafty thief whose attempts to rob the ship take a backseat to staying alive, and the ship's captain, Simon Canton, the pouty whiny jerk of the story. At this point, things begin to get a little clearer. We learn the secret connection between Canton and the arrival of the gun-laden bandits, while also discovering that the ship has become infested with worm-like creatures with a taste for humans. They don't merely eat humans, but drink them and then rid themselves of the skeletal remain, which will turn more than a few stomachs in the audience. The story segues into a race for survival, as they struggle for a way out of the ship before they are all digested by the creatures. The story itself is mostly juvenile, and despite its R rating, it is given a pretty basic treatment that most preteens would be able to understand. This is due to its never-ending formulaic plot twists and contrived attention-grabbers that pop up at least once every minute. Scenes which pit the surviving members of the group against the dangerous monsters always leave a way out for them, and it is because of this that we are able to predict so early on who will end up making it off the ship. There seems to be a mantra for the story that if you can't find a way out of a situation, then the most ludicrous scenario you can imagine turns up being the way out. The movie follows this mantra in almost every action sequence, and I found myself heaving an "Oh, please" through a good bit of the film. Writer/director Stephen Sommers shows no apparent shame in borrowing from almost every disaster movie involving a creature or a ship that we've seen done before. There are elements of "The Poseidon Adventure" present in a scene that requires our heroes to swim through underwater sections of the ship to reach a safety spot. The composition of the creatures comes dangerously close to copying the "Anaconda" craze, and let's not forget to mention how they travel through the ship, which is resonant of "Alien," in which the alien made its way around through air-conditioning vents (here, our creatures use water pipes). What comes as a surprise to me is the amount of suspense the film totes along with this formula and contrivance. All of those plots twists and attention-grabbers may be old, but they certainly have not lost their touch, and I found myself watching with increased attention and jumping in certain scenes. This movie uses a lot of fast shocks, especially ones accompanied by sudden, shrill chords of music, and these work quite well in delivering shocks and thrills. And those situations where they always find a way out? Well, they may get out, but it's not without the close calls and the heightened rush of adrenaline you get from watching scenes like this. You know they'll make it to safety, but there's always that little area in your mind which questions that fact. What really makes the movie enjoyable is the way Sommers incorporates humor and witty dialogue into the story to balance out the thrills and shocks. This is becoming increasingly fervent in his films, and was the case with his remake of "The Mummy." In the midst of all the intensity and violence, we are still given a chance to laugh at the characters' remarks, mostly from Trillian and Joey. Trillian is played by Famke Janssen, who has such a knack for turning colorful phrases and making them completely convincing (if you don't believe me, watch 1999's "House on Haunted Hill"). And Kevin J. O'Conner plays Joey, whose subtle timidity and high-pitched voice make him a stand-out for comedy. Treat Williams plays a good action hero as John Finnegan, and while his character may seem a little too hammy (and maybe a little too insightful as to the connection between the captain and the villians), he plays it well and looks like he's having fun with it. Anthony Heald is our whiny, two-faced antihero as captain Canton, and his segue is well-acted and convincing. The supporting cast also includes Wes Studi, Derrick O'Connor, Jason Flemyng, Cliff Curtis, Clifton Powell, Trevor Goddard, Djimon Hounsou, Una Damon, and Clint Curtis.Despite its many flaws, "Deep Rising" can be a fun and exciting ride that is not without its suspense factor. It does prove, on a mediocre level, that formula and contrivance can sometimes be fun. Wit and humor abide very nicely within this film, which allows us to laugh while jumping in fright at just the right moments.

david-beukes 2012-04-24 10:31:02

This movie rocks

Monster movies hold few surprises. There will be a large ensemble castand a scientifically preposterous monster or two, who willsystematically eat said cast. A handful may survive.What makes a monster movie stand out, then, is characters and pace -and Deep Rising delivers in spades. This movie is relentless, andreally funny, often when it means to be. Treat Williams and FamkeJanssen provide some of the best work of their careers.The film has a high enough budget that the creatures look really good -actually super creepy - and there's plenty of gore and impracticallyflashy sci-fi guns.It's not an Oscar winner, but I own it on both VHS and DVD. Highlyrecommended.

Dave from Ottawa 2012-04-24 15:04:12

The first half of the movie is a pretty tight little caper thriller...

...but things get out of hand in the second half due to an impossibleset of coincidences. Treat Williams and his band of hi- tech raidersboard a luxury yacht and dump a virus into its operating system tobypass the vault control. So far so good. Except the ship is infestedwith unbelievably huge and lethal sea creatures and by knocking out theship's security protocols the raiders just let them loose all over theship. Oops. If this all seems like an overly contrived way to flip the movie into asalty creature feature, it is. The plot contrivances by that point killone's suspension of disbelief - there is just too much to disbelieve.What's more the second half of the movie is one long generic run-away-from-the-monster chase sequence already familiar from the Aliensseries, not to mention Deep Blue Sea, Leviathan, Deep Star Six andevery other watery creature feature of the last thirty years. I foundmyself bored during what should have been the biggest action payoff ofthe movie.

2012-04-24 06:22:59

DEEP TROUBLE. Special effects are below par. Acting is stiff. It's worse than Anaconda.

The movie is in DEEP TROUBLE. Its special effects are below par compared to today's movies. The acting is stiff and not engaging. There's no suspense or horror. The fighting scenes are typical of B movies. I menan they don't look real. It's worse than Anaconda.It's one of the worst monster movies.

2012-04-20 15:52:22

The guiltiest of all pleasures.

I feel like a hypocrite, I hated both Mummy movies by Stephen Sommers, but I love this movie! It is my number one guilty pleasure. It was all around cheese, but it knows it and doesn't care, therefore giving it a lot of room to have fun, which it does. The plot is thin, the fx, are decent, and the acting is...well there, but everybody looks like there having fun, I can imagine this movie was a blast to film. The action in the movie is well paced and exciting, especially the totally unbeleivable, yet thoroughly exhilarting jet ski chase through the belly of the ship at the end of the movie. The dialogue is 100% cheese, but fits the movie perfectly, even the one liners are pure gold. I'm not a big CGI fan, but I liked the fx in the film, the half digested villain is some of the best CGI I've ever seen, even rivaling Episode 1. This movie was lambasted by critics from all over, I should have done the same, but I did not have the heart, it was just too much fun. If you liked both of the Mummy movies by Mr. Sommers, you get a real kick out of Deep Rising!

Brent Crewse 2012-04-20 03:54:34

Great effects, action, and humor!! A triple treat!!!

I saw this movie and I enjoyed it. As a matter of fact I've seen it a fewtimes. Granted, it has a campy quality in different scenes. Even though,they pull it off. Great special effects for a "creature feature" and actionand humor all in one. I'm just waiting for a sequel. With the ending, theyhave to make one!!!!