Deep Rising

A Stephen Sommer movie

With Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald and others

Monika says:

We are to expect "Horror from deep under the sea", or that's what the poster wants us to believe. But we find horror on the screen in the shape of awful actors. Nobody expects to find an oscar-worthy performance when he or she goes to see a trash movie like this, but the unconcious humor last year's ANACONDA had to offer would have satisfied.

While I waited impatiently for the monster to arise from under the sea and cover a cruise ship on its maiden voyage with gooey slime passengers on another ship are busy retching, women are fondled and you get a glimpse of what men like to do to kill time. Probably not in real life, but the movie wants to make us believe they do. All this is served with loads of the most brainless dialogue of the year 1998. People who are out of kindergarten or at least elementary school should have outgrown this kind of humor.

After 45 minutes you don't have to be content with watching the monster's dinner leftovers anymore but get to see its slimy tentacles. But the throwing up of a crew member has a distinct deja vu feeling to it. Oh, yes, last year's ANACONDA did the same. So much for the imagination of screenwriters. However, the makers of DEEP RISING had a bigger FX budget and hired Industrial Lights and Magic. This time the monster didn't look like an out of control computer-animated fire hose. The special effects are decently crafted, but the silly behavior of the - unfortunately not digital - cast spoiled even that small pleasure so after about an hour I felt compelled to leave the theater.

I might have missed the perhaps brilliant last 40 minutes of the film. Therefore my rating has to be: walked out.

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Monika Hübner