Deep Rising (1998)

Deep Rising (1998)

1998 American action-horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, who is an American director, screenwriter and producer, best known for his big budget action films such as The Mummy (1999), its sequel, The Return of the Mummy (2001), Van Helsing (2004) and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009).

Although the film was a critical and box-office failure, it was (and probably still is) considered a cult film. Its fans think that people who don’t like it are snobs. I’m fine with that ^_^ I don’t mind being called a film snob, actually. Especially if it’s just because I think this film is far from excellent. Yes, because it’s hyper-exaggerated and rather badly made. It’s just not great cinema! And the first half is better than the second.

It’s true that not many films like this are made any more. Fortunately for some, but total despair for others, especially those who only like films from the 80s and 90s.

There are films where you can’t wait to see the monsters… but as soon as they’re there, it spoils all the fun! Unfortunately, we’re no exception to that rule here.

A film made purely for the fun of it, and not at all to revolutionise cinema, nor to have the best direction, or even a dash of subtlety. The protagonists’ reactions aren’t always very accurate and are even rather laughable, although the cast is pretty good.

I really enjoyed Kevin J. O’Connor, even if he is the most annoying character for some. We see the late Treat Williams in the lead role. Famke Janssen is in an excellent role that suits her perfectly.

But we also meet the charismatic Jason Flemyng,
Wes Studi, known for his roles as ruthless Amerindian warriors,
Una Damon, actress and director known for 1998’s Crying in the Ocean (yes, I’m talking about that film!), but also for The Truman Show (also 1998) and Welcome to Gattaca (1997).

My heart sank a little when I saw Derrick O’Connor, too. RIP!

So, basically, this film is just bad. But it’s incredibly entertaining from start to finish! Fun and unpretentious. Not a high class film. See it maybe once, but don’t buy it! Unless you agree with this reviewer: “One of the best monster movies of all time! A brilliant cast, impressive special effects and a touch of humour, what more could you ask for?”

The humour, indeed, is scathing and really good, I think.

But what is this creature? I still can’t define the film’s monstrosity. Is it an octopus? A huge worm? A dragon? A nice (or nasty) mix of all three? A Kraken?
In my opinion, it’s quite convincing at first and can be quite disgusting in certain scenes. There are also a few bloody scenes. So it’s a must-see for fans of intense 90s action!

The more the film progresses, the more it looks like a B-movie! And I have to admit, that’s not my thing. I’m not much of a b-movie person. It’s a bloody, entertaining monster movie with increasingly poor special effects!

In conclusion:
It’s the beginning that’s particularly exciting. Probably ideal for an evening out with friends.
Despite an implausible story and sometimes rather mediocre performances by the actors (although the cast is good!), the film never completely wearies you, despite becoming less and less credible! There’s a good dose of humour, with a few successful gags. In fact, the film starts off in a fairly classic way, then turns into a hilarious firework display punctuated by ironic gags. At first I thought it was a serious insect hunt, but I soon realised I was wrong.
Well, opinions differ all the time! There are those who had said ‘Don’t think about it, just look at it!’, those who find it “Marvellous” or those who say ‘So ridiculous it’s good!’

It’s not necessarily gory with torture, but it’s very bloody, because we see a lot of death and that makes one or two scenes pretty damn dark. At the time, films like Con Air were only allowed in cinemas from the age of 18, whereas this film was not very bloody, or not bloody at all, but this really sinister film, frightening according to the sensibilities, was accepted from the age of 16! We could certainly ask questions. But today, some thirty years later, I don’t think this film would scare anyone or shock many people.

It has that Alien or Predator feel, where a whole team leads a war against a monstrous creature. But few feature films can match these masterpieces.

The boat aspect is obviously reminiscent of Ghost Ship (2002), but let’s not forget that the latter was only created some four years later.