Customer Reviews

Below

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Finally saw the David Twohy ("Pitch Black") thriller Below last night and was slightly disappointed, but ONLY because my expectations were so high. I thought it was great - not as good as Pitch Black, but a different kind of movie so a comparison isn't really fair.

At first you get the feeling that the movie can't decide what it wants to be - war? mystery? ghost story? horror? submarine hunt? Then you realize that it WANTS to be all those in one. And it does a very good job of being ALL of them.

There are some excellent, VERY brief visuals in the movie that contribute to the sense of unease and otherworldly. It's the best representation ever of the feeling that you can only catch a glimpse of a ghost out of the corner of your eye.

The sound design (as with just about any submarine movie) is excellent and story-critical. The acting is top-calibre from a relatively obscure cast (Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany, Scott Foley, Jason Flemyng, Nick Chinlund). The film is co-scripted by Darren Aronofsky ("Pi", "Requiem for a Dream"). Director Twohy puts in a cameo appearance.

The DVD exhibits one of the cleanest, clearest pictures I've ever seen (in my collection of 1000 DVDs). It rivals the transfer of a more obvious reference disc like "Monsters, Inc.". The sound, although not DTS, is terrific, and you'll want to turn up the volume so you can hear everything from the hull noises to whispering voices. The disc is presented in anamorphic widescreen at about 1.79:1

I highly recommend it!

The year is 1943, and the U.S.S. Tiger Shark is on a covert assignment deep within enemy territory in the Atlantic Ocean, until an order takes them on a detour for a rescue mission. When they arrive at the designated coordinates, three survivors from a British medical ship are found and brought aboard, among them is a female named Claire. It turns out that a German U-boat had torpedoed and destroyed their craft two days ago, leaving them stranded in the sea. Soon after, strange things begin to happen on the submarine as Claire starts to uncover clues that eventually lead her to a dark secret among the senior crewmen. Now they must find a way to evade the enemies above, while dealing with an unknown terror in their midst at the same time.

Below came highly recommended to me, and I have to say that I was very impressed, especially with the acting. You might remember Bruce Greewood's compelling performance as of JFK in Thirteen Days; here he plays Lt. Brice, the acting captain of the Tiger Shark. On the surface Brice is a very capable man, decisive and a great leader, but as his past begins to catch up with him, the guy slowly breaks down, and Greenwood does a good job portraying the character's slow descent into instability. Olivia Williams and Matthew Davis are equally solid in the roles of Claire and Ensign O'Dell respectively.

Admittedly there are certain cliches one would often expect in horror movies, such as the obligatory visual tricks, the unexplained noises, and sudden crescendo in the music to insinuate the presence of the paranormal. Yet director Twohy was able to create some interesting and effective sequences, one noteworthy scene took place when Lt. Loomis noticed his image the mirror, there was an obvious lag between the movements he makes and the reflection's response, it still gives me the creeps when I think about it. The script co-written by Aronofsky is another strong point of the movie, original and inventive, even though the film seems to flounder a bit towards the middle, as it transitions from the action-oriented WWII subplot to the more suspense filled part of the film. In the end, the plot is an engaging tale that will probably leave you wondering whether if the submarine is really cursed, or is it just a string of coincidental circumstances?

I would consider Below as one of the best movies I've seen all year, therefore I am somewhat perplexed in regards to Dimension Films' poor treatment of its release. There was little to no advertisement, the trailer itself wasn't made available until a week before the picture hit the theaters, director Twohy even had to put up a website out of his own pocket. But don't let that stop you, despite some of the minor flaws I have mentioned previously, Below is a very well rounded film, and I believe it should cater to a wide range of moviegoers, that is if they will give it a chance which the studio never did.

When I heard about a horror movie called "Below" set on a submarine during World War II, I knew I had to sit up and take note. I also noticed that Darren Aronofsky wrote the screenplay. If you don't know this chap, he's the guy who translated Hubert Selby's shattering novel about drug addiction, "Requiem for a Dream," to the silver screen. Moreover, "Pitch Black" director David Twohy stepped in to lens the picture. Sounds great, doesn't it? There is as much talent in front of the camera as there is behind it, too. But putting all of that aside, isn't it great when someone makes a submarine picture? We just don't see enough of these movies today, or not enough GOOD submarine pictures. I suspect "Das Boot" sort of ruined the genre for everyone else--that, and the excellent "The Hunt for Red October." Once someone makes an excellent film in any particular genre, all other efforts must inevitably measure up or be considered a failure. "Below" contains many scenes found in other submarine films--the claustrophobia of life in a tin box beneath the waves and the horror of dodging depth charges are two examples that come to mind immediately--but the movie differs by adding a horror twist to the mix.

The troubles start when the captain of the USS Tiger Shark (the submarine in question) goes overboard after sinking an enemy vessel. Now commanded by Brice (Bruce Greenwood), the ship picks up three survivors from a sinking British medical ship on the way back to port. The crew of submariners, always a superstitious lot in the grand tradition of sailors everywhere, strenuously objects to picking up these survivors. Why? Not because they are hardhearted but because one of them is a female nurse and everyone knows a woman onboard translates into the worst of luck. Sometimes superstitions ring true. No sooner does Nurse Claire (Olivia Williams) arrive than weird things start happening. A German ship draws a bead on the sub and drops lots of depth charges, a couple of which seriously damage the submarine. Even worse, weird and unexplainable events start popping up with frightening regularity, for example the deceased captain's record player springing to life at the worst possible times. The crew starts to hear strange noises outside the vessel, noises that defy attempts to explain them away as whale songs or other predictable sounds. An assessment of the sub's damage confirms that hydrogen levels in the ship are rising to amounts that can cause hallucinations and paranoia. The boat is also suffering from an oil leak that threatens to destroy the engines.

At some point in the narrative, Brice begins to deteriorate mentally. So does the rest of the crew, several members of which begin to see odd reflections and shadows inside the ship. By the time a bunch of the guys have to don scuba gear and go outside to repair the leak the viewer comes to expect imminent disaster. Not yet, though. One more horrific event takes place that sends the crew of the USS Tiger Shark into paroxysms of fear: the sub begins to chart a course back to the scene of the sinking that resulted in the captain's demise. This is a problem on two fronts. One, no one set a such a course, which leads many to surmise that the ghost of the captain is definitely onboard. Two, the damage to the submarine requires immediate repair, which won't happen if the crew can no longer steer the vessel. Oh dear. Does a ghost genuinely haunt the USS Tiger Shark? Or is a much more human cause at the heart of the weird goings on? It's to the film's credit that we can never say for sure exactly what causes these creepy incidents. One thing we do learn is that Brice and a few other crewmembers share a few secrets about what really happened to the sub's captain, secrets that will inevitably come to the surface (pun intended) as disaster looms on the horizon.

I liked "Below" for several reasons. First, the performances are first rate. Greenwood gives a nuanced performance as Brice; it's a tricky role in that the actor can't suddenly turn into a raving maniac but must gradually reveal his character's mental deterioration. This Greenwood does effectively. Another welcome character is Weird Wally (Zach Galifianakis), who serves up necessary doses of comic relief whenever things get too weird on the submarine. Matthew Davis plays Ensign Odell, the obligatory hero character who eventually begins to question Brice's increasingly bizarre actions. "Below" also effectively uses CGI and sound effects to create a creepy atmosphere. And what an atmosphere! Think about it for a second--you can walk out of a haunted building, but where are you going to go when a spirit pops up on a submarine that risks attack if it surfaces? Exactly. About the only problem I had with the movie concerns the huge cast of characters. So many people step forward at various times that it is difficult in the extreme to keep track of them all. It's actually a small problem that fortunately doesn't interfere with the effectiveness of the movie.

A commentary track with Twohy and a few cast members, deleted scenes, a making of feature, and trailers for "Dracula 2002," "Halloween: Resurrection," "Tangled," and "Undisputed" round out the disc. While I don't think "Below" ranks as the best horror movie made in the last few years, I do think horror fans should pay it a visit. Fans of submarine films will probably want to give "Below" a watch too.

Or so the tagline of this movie goes. I like to see hybrids of movie genres. This being a WW II sub film crossed with a ghost story. As one critic puts it, "U-571 Meets Poltergeist." It's a good movie, good story, outstanding performances from a cast of lesser knowns. Two scenes standout as a grand testimony to the direction of David Twohy. 1. Gossip of a female on board travels among the sailors from one end of the boat to the other. 2. A depth charge bounces slowly along the stretch of the sub before teetering on the edge...and we watch in complete suspense. As for the DVD, the transfer is crisp, the audio is incredible (as creaks and moans play an important role in the film), and the special features are good. You get a theatrical trailer, a director and actor's commentary, and a great featurette titled "The Process." A wonderful look into the filmmaking process we watch how rehearsals come to be the real deal. Running only 12 1/2 minutes, I wish it were longer. And 3 really good deleted scenes round out the package. The movie spent a minute in theaters--hopefully it will catch-on in the DVD format.

I see pretty much every "scary" movie that comes out and this was one of the BEST of 2002! Well acted, well-directed, interesting script, so DON'T MISS IT. Reminds me some ways of Robert Wise's classic 1963 film THE HAUNTING--what you don't see is what gives you the chills!

This is a superb film. It beautifully blends supernatural suspense with an amazingly accurate depiction of the structure and function of the WWII fleet submarine. The producers did their homework on this one. It is a must see for WWII or submarine buffs or anyone who wants to be confined within a tight suspense-filled thriller.

I was very plesantly surprised with this film, I went in hoping for at least an adequate horror movie, but this gripped me like no other work in the genre has since the original Evil Dead. The suspense is extraordinarily well handled, and if you are a true fan of this sort of thing, it will have you looking behind you and checking for weird noises around the house after you are finished watching - it's that effective. Direction, acting, photography and special effects (although nothing too flashy here, the suspense is what really counts) are tops - it's almost unusual to find something so artistically sound coming out of Hollywood these days. As to why this film was so shabbily treated by the studio, it's anybody's guess. It should easily find its audience on DVD, where it is bound to get the classic status it deserves. A must for every horror film buff's collection.

I don't know what Dimension was thinking when they just dumped this into theaters with barely any advertising and a very limited release. Granted, it's not a GREAT movie, but it is still a pretty solid one. It definitely deserved to get a wide release and should've gotten a lot more advertising. I doubt it would have been a HUGE hit, but I'm sure it would have done decent. It at least deserved a chance. I can't believe Dimension would [take advantage of ]such a quality movie.

Below was pretty interesting and I was never really bored, which is definitely something considering I don't like submarine movies. I'm usually bored by them, but not this one. Of course, the slight horror element certainly helped, but even when it wasn't going the horror ruite it was still interesting. I really liked the atmosphere and the scenes when it would be pitch dark with only the blue ocean water as a light.

Overall, I really enjoyed Below. It's definitely not GREAT, but still very good. Fans of submarine movies or horror movies should check it out.

Grade: 7/10 or B or ***1/2 of *****

I bought this movie after hearing rave reviews about the Commentary on the DVD. Was it ever a good impulse buy! This was a good old fashioned scary movie about a submarine mission with a spooky presence (don't wanna give too much detail away). It is a simple ghost story and does not rely on super-hoity-toity special effects to keep you interested. The cast was a great ensemble and had they continued that great bond when they got together for the DVD commentary.

It's not too boring for the older crowd and not too scary for the kids [caution to parents - there is a nude heiny shot of one of the officers, but even this was done without being overly offensive]. The story keeps you on your toes without shoving ten tons of gore in your face. It's one of the few movies made nowadays that has an original plot and doesn't cliche you to death throughout the viewing.

And if you do get the DVD - definitely check out the Commentary.

It was definitely worth the money and I wish I had come across it sooner!

David Twohy is king of the b-movie thriller. He's directed a number of strong genre films on tight budgets that have been both visually innovative and startlingly powerful. The Arrival and Pitch Black are his two best known films and Below fits somewhere between the two of them. Visually, this haunted submarine story is about has sharp as they come. He's managed to inspire inspired performances from his under rated casts (everyone from Charlie Sheen and Vin Diesel have benefited from his solid direction).

In this quick to video age, the art of B-movie making and low budget genre films had been lost until recently. The last director capable of creating anything worthwhile before Twohy was Sam Raimi. His Evil Dead films had a crackling energy and sense of humor most mainstream films would have benefited from in the 80's and 90's. Likewise, Twohy's films have all the visual splendor and energy missing from mainstream genre films over the last ten years. Minority Report and AI, for example, would have benefited from Twohy's action direction and lack of pretense. He tells a solid story and tells it well.

It's a pity that Below was buried in the theaters before it got a chance to surface. The acting is top-notch and, while the script is certainly flawed, it's attempt at merging a variety of different genres is admirable.

The DVD transfer is handsome and the extras extensive given the small audience the DVD was intended for. The sound is equally detailed and, while not presented in the DTS format, sounds great. I'd like to add that the technical information mentions the film is presented in standard format (i.e., a television aspect ratio)when, in fact, it's in a widescreen format.

Below is definitely worth a rental and, if you like it, worth purchasing.