Terror Beneath the Sea

Ken and Jenny, a doctor and a reporter (Shin'ichi (Sonny) Chiba and Peggy Neal), stumble across the undersea lair of a megalomanic and his army of surgically-modified amphibious cyborgs with which he plans to conquer the world. This juvenile offering from Toei Studios features a mostly Western cast alongside action-hero Chiba (chop-socky fans will be disappointed at the dearth of athletic fights) with a near amateur performance by Neal (to be fair, she has little to work with and spends most of her screen time trying to look horrified). The film contains some reasonably well done underwater miniature work but the centerpiece, the scaly cyborgs are laughable when seen clearly, especially when their costumes are torn. The gilled minions are controlled by the chortling villain through a control box with apparently three settings (off, work, and fight) and are ostensibly brainless (or so we are told) yet seem to know how to effectively use guns. There is an entertaining (if not very convincing) transition scene in which nefarious Doctor Heim (Mike Daneen) creates a cyborg (courtesy of a lot of squishy stop-motion shots intercut with numerous close-ups of Jenny looking increasingly horrified). A later transformation scene involving the heroes leaves the two leads running around with what appears to be pieces of latex stuck to their chins (much to Jenny's horror). There a couple of action sequences involving the undersea-base's defenses vs. An attacking submarine (apparently armed with the X4, a weapon that could "blow up the whole ocean") leading to a finale that includes all of the expected climactic tropes. The film suffers from some editing problems (the scenes in which the heroes are to be transformed seem to be out of sequence or partially deleted) and the overall production including the sound, music, and cinematography, is substandard even for a low-budget Japanese techno-adventure targeting a young audience. I have a fondness for (and a high tolerance of) Japanese science fiction films but 'Terror Beneath the Sea' is pretty awful, even when compared to Toho's dreadful 'Latitude Zero' (1970) or Peggy Neal's other tokusatsu outing, the extremely goofy but entertaining 'The X from Outer Space' (1967).

I like the simplicity of it. You couldn't intentionally make a movie like this; it's just some kind of magic that falls into place, but the audience has to go along with this kind of accidental wackiness or it will fail to entertain.

While this movie has all the elements that make old sci-fi movies suck,it somehow doesn't suck. The creature from the black lagoon has been cloned and is now in Japan,so of course two reporters must investigate.They immediately go scuba diving because what is a movie without scuba diving?I swear I can't remember the last time I saw a movie without scuba diving.Of course one of the reporters is a woman and wouldn't you know it...she sees the monster first.Two times when the camera cuts to him it's extremely clear that he's not underwater.As the woman swims away they superimpose the monster over her.Not content with nearly being killed, they must investigate further.That's when they discover that a guy has figured out how to transform humans into any form he wants.He explains how but then they just put what looks like a few human organs sewn together into a guy and the transformation begins.It's long,tedious and boring and the woman gasps constantly at the extremely slow process.At one point the guy even gets tiger feet before becoming a CFTBL clone. Did I mention that this guy has made a whole army of these things? And that he calls them cyborgs even though they have nothing robotic about them?And that he controls the entire army with a big knob that has settings like "work" and "fight"?And when he needs them all to stop he has to make a pa announcement so the guy standing next to him can turn the knob. I'm sure I didn't mention that he looks like Kevin Spacey in sunglasses.How do I even know who that is?? You would think that one of the monsters having his armpit "skin" ripped open would be the funniest thing in the movie but you'd be wrong.The funniest, and therefore best part of the movie, is all the underwater fire.What?I didn't mention that most of the movie takes place under water?Or that this guy has built his own Epcot center in the ocean? Doesn't matter. All that matters is this movie has more underwater fire than you will see everywhere else for as long as you live.

Okay Japanese rubber suit/monster flick. Mad scientist plans to rule the world with his fishmen/water cyborgs from his underwater base. Sonny Chiba in an early role is the hero and American Peggy Neal plays the girl in trouble. Best viewed late at night with Attack of the Mushroom People.

YOU, thinking of Japanese monster horror, will likely picture either Godzilla or some kind of bodily mutilation, likely involving lots of tentacles (both fair).

YOU probably think you've seen it all.

But YOU have yet to experience the mid-point somewhere in between: a thrilling, chilling, underwater adventure so sixties it's hip! It's now! And how! Behold: the delightfully nostalgic, charming murk that is... TERROR BENEATH THE SEA!

(bum bum buuuuummm!!!)

SHRIEK in terror,as you attempt to uncover the (not so mystifying) mystery of the strange marine sightings interrupting underwater torpedo tests!

CRINGE at the gloriously wooden overacting, especially the nearly unbearably whiny Peggy Neal, and one navy sergeant bearing an uncanny resemblance to Bradley Cooper!

GROOVE to the funky James Bond vibe of the underwater base, matching uniformed minions, and cackling megalomaniac foe, all given a swingin' sizzle by the slam-banging jazzy adore!

GASP at the strange, eerie underwater creatures - like the Creature of the Black Lagoon with his face caught in a vice! Then HIDE YOUR EYES from the stop motion transformations creating the abominations (see? We promised bodily mutilation!)...which would likely be more memorably grotesque with a higher budget, so the actors weren't left looking like they have shredded condoms all over their faces.

PUZZLE at the fish-men being referred to as cyborgs, and how their actions are controlled by an outrageously 60s wall dial. But don't sweat the details - the film sure doesn't.

CHEER as dashing martial arts star Sonny Chiba finally (finally!) gets to unleash some whoop-ass in a fantastically campy explosive finale, after spending too much of the movie frowning and being imprisoned - even if he does more shooting than martial arts-ing (boo).

You ask yourself: are your nerves (or attention span) up for the spectacle, the pizazz, of this frightfully fun creature feature?? Well, there's only one way to find out. Take the plunge with Sonny and Peggy. Steel your nerves. And uncover the outrageous odyssey that is... TERROR BENEATH THE SEA!

-5/10