The Rift

If you like poor SE, (some) bad acting and a total lack of credibility, this is a movie for you. So a really cheap looking movie, but I liked it anyway. Why? Because I like those kind of movies. I can't help but smile when I see these kind of movies....... What were the producers, actors, director and SE people thinking when they made this film? Don't expect an "Abyss" or "Alien", just a (very) low-budget horror/adventure movie.

There is one nice "splatter"moment when a guy's head is shot off, but for the most, the horror is pretty tame. The final monster is pretty cool too.

It's only 73 minutes long, so you can t go wrong there. Maybe you can pick it up at your local videostore or watch it on TV. I'm sure you will have a good time watching it.

But don't say you weren't warned.............

Endless Descent (aka The Rift) is the afterbirth of 1989's underwater explosion of The Abyss, Leviathan, and Deepstar Six. Just as you expect from an apparent bandwagon jumper, it's not as good as those prior flicks. It also takes some time to get going. It has the feel of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea for the most part of the film (and the sub effects are just as hokey). It doesn't turn into a true B monster movie until they finally get out of the damned submarine. Then we get some giant killer seaweed, rubber mutants, and a nice head explosion. I might add that the head explosion was the highlight of the movie. Jack Scalia leads a cast of mostly unknowns and no one here shines. Even R. Lee Ermey and my man Ray Wise seem to be phoning it in. The director's other films include the horrible Pieces and the unwatchable Cthulhu Mansion. So viewer beware.

I found this on Tubi and watched it over the course of a week because I'd always put it right before bed and usually fall asleep a few minutes into it. I was expecting a talk fest with little action, but once I watched the whole thing, I found a pretty decent low-budget movie. The acting is serviceable, the plot is alright, and there's plenty of action and decent practical special effects. Worth a watch for fans of science fiction B-Movies.

The Rift (1990)

** (out of 4)

The experimental submarine Siren I goes missing so the government sends the Siren II to find out what happened. A new crew led by Captain Phillips (R. Lee Ermey) heads into the waters and soon they find the killing creatures.

Juan Piquer Simón will always be known for his cult classic PIECES as well as the overly insane and gory SLUGS but this film here certainly has enough good moments to where fans of his will want to check it out. Obviously, the low-budget film borrows from the likes of ALIENS, THE ABYSS and even LEVIATHAN but this somewhat adds to the charm.

The best thing about this movie are the gory special effects that certainly push the R-rating. Obviously the effects aren't as graphic as what we saw in PIECES but they're still a lot of fun. I really thought the production team did a terrific job on the underwater scenes and especially the cave of the creatures. All of it looked extremely good and they certainly got everything that they could out of the budget.

Even better where the gory special effects. Once the violence breaks out there are all sorts of creatures that get blown apart and this adds to the gory fun. The look of the creature was also decent, although they do kind of take a Roger Corman approach and not show it that much. The cast is good for what they're asked to do but there's no doubt that the screenplay is really lacking any sort of originality and I'd argue that the film is missing any sort of suspense.

With that said, fans of the director will get a kick out of certain elements of THE RIFT and for the most part it's a decent low-budget film.

R. Lee Ermey is the only reason to watch this soggy underwater submarine sci-fi film. He has a starring role, and his presence for the mercifully short 79 minute running time helps maintain some interest. "Endless Descent" is loaded with the usual crisis of the minute clichés, and races along with little character development, and really makes little sense. The crew explores an underwater cave system, while being attacked by a nice assortment of evolutionary accelerated critters. Meanwhile a toxic plant specimen is overrunning the submarine. Throw in a traitor on board, and you pretty much have the plot, or lack thereof. Except for the presence of R. Lee Ermey, this is entirely forgettable nonsense. - MERK