Deep Rising

In the South China Sea, the Argonautica, a luxury cruise ship, is enjoying its maiden voyage, with owner Simon (Anthony Heald) welcoming the rich and powerful to a major party in the middle of the ocean. Racing to the ship is John (Treat Williams), a captain-for-hire who's unsure about the pack of mercenaries he's working with, led by Hanover (Wes Studi), who are planning something nefarious for the Argonautica, unsettling crew member Joey (Kevin J. O'Connor). Approaching the ship, it becomes clear the mercenaries are intending to rob the passengers and blow up the Argonautica, putting John in a difficult position of compliance without proper weaponry. However, the mission is disrupted by the arrival of a tentacled creature from the depths of ocean, and one that feeds on humans, using its pliable body and sea-based instinct to find victims, devouring everything it can find. Joined by pickpocket Trillian (Famke Janssen), John and Joey search for a way off the ship, trying to return to their damaged boat and get away from an unstoppable creature.

1998's "Deep Rising" didn't have an easy time finding an audience during its initial theatrical release. It came out a year after "The Relic" (which delivered a similar monster-in-a-contained-area premise), a month after "Titanic" (which satiated audiences hungry to see a massive ship endure a slow destruction), and two weeks after "Hard Rain" (which also enjoyed some Jet Ski action in tight hallways). The planets didn't align for writer/director Stephen Sommers, but this noisy ode to B-movies of the past eventually found something of a following on home video and basic cable, and it's not hard to see why, with the helmer arranging plenty of mayhem, quips, and gore to delight those in the mood for something violent but cheeky. Though the true comedic value of "Deep Rising" is up for debate.

I bought this DVD last week. I've watched it for the first time with some friends. I must admit, that must be some movie.. Here, director Stephen Sommers try to prove that if Aliens scared you.. Then this one will do worse.. Well, it did at times.. The whole plot sounds simple to me.. with these bunch of thieves coming on board this cruise liner, the Argonautica.. Only to find that the passengers have vanished. It's not 'til they realise that they up against something more deadly and it came from the bottom of the ocean.. We're not talking giant squids here.. Something more sinister..

Treat Williams played well as Finnegan. Famke Janssen, Wes Studi and the rest of the cast kept their end of the bargain with their performance. A really good film, full of one liners.. A few jokes.. This, that and the other..

7 out of 10!

Deep Rising is a good film. It is an example of a well made B movie. A group of mercenaries hijack a cruise ship that happens to host a giant sea creature- You can't make this up and it works. This is a cheesy blast and both Treat Wiliams and Famke Jannsen are good and one wonders why they never achieved more stardom. The direction is sublime and the pacing is excellent. The effects would have been a hindrance if the film tried to be a more serious straightforward drama but because it is so tongue in cheek they work in favor. This is a must watch.

The effects aren't bad for the late 90's and had decent acting and pretty good action.

This is one of those B-movie gems i have fond memories of, even 20years later after its release. It entertains me everytime i by accident notice it running on TV. I like the VFX even so its totaly obvious (but also 20y old), but the point is, in this movie it is so well used to entertain you most of the time while in todays movies VFX is mostly used to avoid spending money for real props. I love this movie, it features a great cast (Famke Janssen, Treat Williams and others), way underrated back than, great acting, perfect pacing and just overall a nice mood appropirate for that movie-genre. If you like action-paced comedic horror, this is definetly a must see !