Customer Reviews

Deep Water

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had no idea what this movie was about. I sure did enjoy it. Kind of a different plot. Killers after a woman thrown in with a capsized cruise ship. It had some humor in it as well. Well worth watching!

About the Movie:
From the stacks of "you get what you pay for" comes this rather awful b-grade direct to video movie.

Deep Water sloshes through water parted 30 years ago by one of the classic adventure films of the late 20th century, Poseidon Adventure. Like Poseidon, it involves a cruiseliner that is hit by a tidal wave and capsizes. Like Poseidon, everyone dies except maybe 5 people. Like Poseidon, the only way to get out is to travel up to the lower hull to escape.

Deep water tries to be unique by adding guns and bad guys. There's no Gene Hackman yelling at God in this movie. Instead we have terrorists trying to kidnap an heir's daughter and a US Marine trying to stop them amidst rushing water, excruciatingly bad dialog, lousy sets and mediocre visual effects. We even have sharks swimming around in a kitchen in a place where there is no obvious way they could have gotten there. Oooo! How original.

This is clearly a rip off of a far better film. The film even recognizes it halfway through when one of the bad guys on the ship gets upset about the situation and announces, "We're living in the Poseidon Adventure . . . , and I for one intend to be in Ernest Borgnine's group when they pop the hull and haul his fat butt out."

At least they admitted it.

There really isn't very much redeeming about this film. Not even the performance by the late James Coburn could do anything to help it. Then again, since his entire part in the movie involved him sitting helplessly on a Navy Aircraft Carrier and fuming at politicians, I suppose it's not much of a surprise.

The only good thing about this movie is the opening theme. It's sort of catchy.

About the DVD:
This budget DVD release comes in a plastic hard case in fullscreen (pan+scan) with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The video quality is decent.

Like many budget DVDs, it lists its interactive menus and inclusion of scene selections, subtitles and theatrical trailers as Bonus Features. Strange how they call them Bonus Features, when 99.9% of DVD releases have them.

Bottom line? Get the Poseidon Adventure instead. It's a far more entertaining and a far better movie than this halfhearted ripoff of it. 1 lonely star.

This movie had all the dramatic factors to catch our attention and interest. A terrorist faction, an important girl to be watched and the always sensible nuclear premise.

But with such ties to disentangle, there is a hidden risk to dismiss one of the main ethic conflicts; unless you have a hidden Ace or may to lead the film over two hours and a half.

As whole entertainment the film is enjoyable to watch, but it could have been still better.

DEEP WATER is certainly no "Poseidon Adventure" but for a tidal wave capsizing a luxury liner rip-off, it entertained me enough not to totally trash it. The funniest thing about the film is that when the shark makes its way onto the capsized vessel, he doesn't have any teeth. He must not be a killer shark, or else he gummed his victims to death?? Anyway, the late James Coburn took home a paycheck for his almost cameo role, and Finola Hughes was almost sexy as the villainous tv reporter. I think Larry Poindexter who played the supporting role of Lazo would have been better in the lead role played by Costas Mandylor. Larry seemed to be more of a heroic type and is basically a better actor than the somewhat hunkier Mandylor. Alex Hyde-White did not ooze enough villainry to be a good "Ghost" and there are no real surprises. DEEP WATER is a mediocre, but enjoyable little straight to DVDer!

My guess is they lost money on this one. Although James Coburn certainly turns in a good performance as the Captain of a Navy Aircraft Carrier, we don't see that much of him. Costas Mandylor tries hard as a macho Navy Seal but just can't carry the movie by himself. The rest of the perfomances are mediocre. It comes close to being a worthy film but doesn't quite make it. I think a good acting bad man like John Lithgow or Gary Oldman would have made it work, but the group of kidnappers aboard the cruise ship just don't have what it takes.

Yes, 5 stars because it is so bad that you will laugh until you cry. It is so bad that mere words cannot convey the feelings you will have as you watch in horror and amusement. Take for granted that it is poorly written and acted, that is a given. What really stands out is the plot. This film is, in almost equal parts, James Bond, Love Boat, Top Gun, The Poesiden Adventure and Jaws. The writers also throw in a little nuclear war threat just for good measure.

You must see it to believe it. You will laugh until you cry. People actually got paid to make this film, that is almost as amazing as the actual film. Almost.