Lost Voyage

On the one hand, it's TV movie originating on the Sci Fi Channel. On the other hand, it precedes that time when the Sci Fi Channel became SyFy, and began routinely partnering with The Asylum. And hey, there are some recognizable stars in this! How bad could it be?

I'm not inclined to lay the blame on the shoulders of anyone operating behind the scenes, for I assume a low budget and the guidance of the filmmaker or producers is more to blame. While 'Lost voyage' is easy on the eyes in terms of Todd Barron's photography and the fundamental image quality, the sets tend to seem weirdly spartan, bereft of detail or texture that would help them to feel real. Even the lighting bears a distinct artificiality, and while instances of CGI are a smidgen more detailed and believable than what we've seen elsewhere (again, namely The Asylum), still the discrepancy with shot footage is overt. Christian McIntire's direction and editing both feel rather brusque, or sometimes maybe even a little stilted, and there's a discernible hard edge to the sound design, not to mention in the acting, that likewise betrays the contrivance. What this picture needed above all was a more tactful, nuanced touch that would have helped every component part to stand taller, stand out, and meaningfully resonate.

I would also offer this: 'Lost voyage' aims to tell a story of science fiction and horror, the rediscovery of a cruise ship that vanished in the Bermuda Triangle many years before. It wants to use all the tricks of the trade to do so - rapid cuts and sequences of imagery, special effects, practical effects, sound effects, special makeup, the equipment of "paranormal investigators," entities seen through electronic equipment, visions received by the characters, tinges of atmosphere shaped by the music or cinematography, and more. I think there are some terrific ideas in the screenplay McIntire penned alongside Patrick Phillips, in every regard, from the story and scene writing to characters and dialogue. What the feature lacks is the Vision to bring the tableau to ideal fruition, the resources to make the more unrealistic and supernatural elements count, and/or the mindful skill and care to realize the film as intended. I'm of the mind that this either needed to have total commitment to form develop the tale on the same level as major studio genre fare (more and heartier effects, bigger and better sets, and so on), or alternatively, to go the opposite route and make this less about what we see, and more about what we don't see, and what is just underhandedly suggested. Look to the BBC's iconic 1992 special 'Ghostwatch' as an example, or even 1972's 'The stone tape.' As it exists, no matter how good the root ideas are, the more 'Lost voyage' relies on special effects and big visuals, the worse it comes off.

I don't dislike this. Even for all the weaknesses and flaws it carries, there's much to appreciate here in my opinion. I see what McIntire and Phillips were going for as they wrote it, and had the movie been crafted with a more calculated, precise hand, and better support from the proverbial suits, it would have found much greater success. I even find a measure of kinship with Christophe Gans' exceptional 2006 adaptation of 'Silent Hill' in some ways. Unfortunately, as it presents, this feels perhaps half-realized - kind of fun, but only in a basic fashion, and not making much of an impression. It's not outright bad; there are far worse ways to spend one's time. It is a bit middling, however, and unless one is a diehard fan of someone involved or aching for genre fare no matter the quality, there's no reason to especially seek it out. 'Lost voyage' is okay; it's just regrettable that one easily sees how much better it could have been.

I am surprised. I caught this on a recent trip to London, and was half asleep one night and turned the TV on. My heart sank when the only movie on was this, however, because I saw the UFO logo up front and am familiar with their brand of crap. Imagine my surprise when I began watching it anyway and found that it was actually a GOOD movie.

Judd Nelson plays Aaron, whose parent were lost on a cruise ship back in the 1970's, somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. He has weird dreams about it, apparently, and seems to be involved in researching the paranormal (this was a bit unclear). The ship (SURPRISE!) returns, and a spunky reporter (Janet Gunn) named Dana, who works for a trashy paranormal TV show, decides to go out to the ship and get an exclusive story. She tries to get Judd to go along, but he's (understandably) upset about his missing parents, and her desire to make it all into a sideshow.

Now, it begins to get interesting. Dana has hired a sort of motley crew of salvage operators, led by the wonderful Lance Henriksen as Shaw. He's crabby, craggy, and so are his two helpers. They are about to fly out to the ship, and (of course) Judd shows up in the nick of time. CGI shots of the helicopter and the ship follow (looks good, overall). Once onboard the ship, nasty things start to happen. The interesting thing about this movie is that much of what happens is psychological, instead of overtly "spooky". The director, (Christian McIntire, who also co-wrote this), sets up a tension and weird atmosphere, although some gags don't pay off. One by one, the members of the team are bumped off, but the characters respond in a somewhat realistic fashion to the weirdness and the deaths. There is a wonderful scene showing what panic and tension can do to two people when Lance and another salvage operator (Jeff Kober) get into an argument.

So, the film builds toward the inevitible conclusion, but it is an entertaining ride getting there. Scarlett Chorvat is stunning, as is Janet Gunn, and ALL of the acting is very good. The script seems a little rushed, but it seems that this is a director to watch for in the future. In conclusion, then, a low budget thriller that is well shot, well paced, well directed and acted and a pleasantly spooky diversion.

Still surprised it's from UFO...

From the way Lost Voyage sound and looks, it looks like two movies fused together, and the two movies are The Triangle and Ghost Ship. Lost Voyage is not bad, not bad, at all. Lost Voyage stars a great cast, featuring Lance Henriksen and Judd Nelson. The movie involved a cruise ship called the "Corona Queen.", which disappeared in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. After 25 years, the ship returns. But, the ship did not returns..... alone. On board, seven people will encountered evil forces and spirits on the Corona Queen. Lost Voyage plays it out like a ordinary haunted house movie. This movie is a scary, yet creepy version of Ghost Ship, As for UFO Pictures, this is a modern good, well-directed horror movie that dares you to venture onto the haunted cruise ship alone. The movie is not jam-packed with clichés, but also developed a intense atmosphere and that atmosphere is stays in it's own place as the picture ventures into the heart of darkness on the ship. Lost Voyage has some good performances from Lance Henrikson and Judd Nelson. As haunted ship movies goes, Lost Voyage is a good one. ★★★ 3 stars.

It must be harder than it looks to make a movie set aboard an ocean liner. Gritty dramas ("Souls at Sea"), thrillers ("Across the Pacific") or oceanic tearjerkers ("Titanic" & its predecessors") have scored, but among ghost stories set aboard ship, the nearest to the mark have been "The Wreck of the Mary Deare" & "Pirates of the Caribbean"--and it's generous to count either one of them. "Lost Voyage" doesn't really try very hard but is simply another installment in the Bermuda Triangle genre. Florida paranormal researcher Aaron (Nelson) learns that the cruise ship Corona Queen, which vanished in 1979 with his father & new stepmother--inspiring him to become a ghosthunter--has reappeared in the Triangle. She's in the middle of a growing tropical storm, of course, which may sink her at any time. Though proclaiming his reluctance, he inevitably brings his ectospotting-gear (once again, Man bites God with Gear) on a salvage mission. They're led by veteran, no-nonsense seascrounger Shaw (Henriksen) & backed by a TV station that sends both washed-up anchor Dana (Janet Gunn) & catty star reporter Julie (Chorvat), with nervous cameraman Randall (Richard Gunn) caught between the rivals. Hard-edged, good-hearted sea mechanics Dazinger (Kober) & Fields (Sheppard) round out the fateful team with occasional but much-needed comic relief. Of course the Corona Queen is just as she was before but passengers & crew are gone--or are they? Will the team find its answers, prevail or escape before the intense storm overcomes the drifting liner? Or will their own personal demons & rivalries tear them apart? The carelessness & cheapness that plague most SciFi Channel originals are largely absent from "Lost Voyage," which features a story of unusual depth (the characters must each face personal demons as well as supernatural foes & their own rivalries) even if it is predictable. A competent cast helps, too. Nelson's Aaron is a driven, fearless nerd, not unlike Richard Dreyfuss's Hooper in "Jaws," but more suitably somber here. Henriksen, the greatest sci-fi/action character actor since Harry Dean Stanton, is as solid as ever, bringing both believability & color to the tale. Stuntwoman Gunn is capable enough as the alternately bitter & optimistic TV reporter whose devotion to her craft usually overcomes her selfish ambition. The effects are pretty good, not spectacular enough to overwhelm the story & actors, used sparingly enough to enhance rather than distract. If you've never, ever heard of the Flying Dutchman, the Marie Celeste or the Bermuda Triangle, you'll find this movie enjoyable enough as a ghost thriller. Otherwise it's crushingly predictable, offering absolutely nothing that hasn't been done many, many times before in literature & film. "Lost Voyage" teases us early on with parapsychological mumbo-jumbo but that part of the story trails off into nothing. Even the great spooky-spoof "Ghostbusters" helped us out with that ("That's a BIG Twinkie"). There's an inherent pathos to ships, especially big ones, a sense that they're irrevocably tied to the times in which they sailed. They are machines yet somehow alive, servants yet grandly awesome. "Titanic" made so much money because it captured that theme & used it well. A pity that no nautical ghost story has yet been able to do the same.

If you don't go into it with overly high expectations, nor expect there to be a particularly rigorous logic to what unfolds, this reasonably entertaining five or six star flick is worth a look, especially for fans of the Bermuda Triangle sub-genre of supernatural thrillers.