Customer Reviews

DeepStar Six

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Deep Star Six is a fun monster movie. I am really surprised that it got a DVD release. Too bad the DVD is not up to the high standard. Full screen only, no subtitling option, no Dolby 5.1 but the picture quality is OK better than the old image entertainment LD. The story is about an underwater research facility attacked by a giant sea monster. Nothing special about the story and the special effects also not very good but is has enough suspence for this genre. Worth a look.

1989 was the year of deep sea movies (THE ABYSS, LEVIATHON to name a couple). DEEP STAR SIX reached the theaters first. A completely forgettable ALIEN(by the sea) ripoff with a notable performance by Miguel Ferrer as Snyder. When this reviewer first saw this film with a bunch of drinking buddies,we started calling the'Snyder'(Ferrer) character 'Gilligan' (as in GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) because the character kept on screwing everything up. The film is unintentionally made humorous because of Ferrer's character (along with the ineptitude of the rest of the characters and the rubber suited sea monster) so the film has some merits. A deep sea missile base with a bunch of engineers and technicians disturb an ocean monster out of its hibernation. Perhaps the creature is starving from its long sleep. The rest of the premise is the garden variety plot as each character is oft by the monster one by one (some of the killings are a bit gruesome). Eventually one or two members will outsmart the monster and find a way to kill it. Not much here except for some interesting casting of actors playing out of type (i.e. Greg Evigan and Nia Peeples), a couple of intense scenes, decent set designs, and the films' non-deliberate humor.

ok yes i know,it's a monster movie without a monster(well we see very little of it),it's really more an action movie underwater(the first of three that year,and the least),in five mins. you already can see who will live and who won't,and most f/x shots of the outside are so dark you can't see anything,it's all this and more, but ,but....i still like it!!!
if you are in the mood for it it can be fun.

Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Cast: Taurean Blacque, Nancy Everhard, Greg Evigan, Miguel Ferrer, Matt McCoy, Nia Peeples, Cindy Pickett, Maruius Weyers.
Running Time: 103 minutes.
Rated R for violence, gore, and language.

"Deepstar Six" is an excellent example of how the 1979 classic "Alien" was a mistake in some ways--not because it was a poor film or that it was not well-made--but it set the standard so high for creature-features that anything that does not deliver such suspense, terror, and thrills is seen as a disappointment. This 1988 rehash is the same formula ad nausea and does not provide many scares or believable characters.

Far below the surface of the unforgiving sea, the crew of the Deepstar Six submarine are explorers in a world of darkness and unimaginable pressure. All they want is to get home safely and see their families. Their mission is to establish a top secret naval base on the ocean's floor, but an alien-esque creature is making that task not only difficult, but deadly. The special effects are fairly humorous, the performances of the has-been soap opera cast are only adequate, and the script is poor. Director Sean S. Cunningham ("Friday the 13th") saves this picture from being a laughing howl in the wind, using some unique camera angles and articulate cinematography, but unfortunately does not have the support or the screenplay to produce an effective horror film. Fans of the genre will be satisfied, but those looking for a stylish, scary monster movie should stick with "Aliens". The DVD does not provide many features except the standard scene selections and director commentary.

This, like "Leviathan" released the same year, is kind of a silly knock-off of "The Abyss" with a touch of "Alien" thrown in. The miniature effects are cheesy but earnest, and the cast seems to be having fun. This isn't one for the library, but if it came on TV late night you'd probably enjoy it as much as any other goofy sci-fi flick. Director Sean Cunningham has done better, and Greg Evigan hasn't appeared on the big screen since this film, I don't think, but DEEPSTAR SIX is still kinda fun in a creepy sort of way (or is it creepy in a fun sort of way?).

Besides being a cheesy movie, although it has Miguel Ferrer, son of legendary screen star Jose Ferrer at the helm, I did buy it just to complete my trilogy of underwater Sci-Fi thriller movies (The Abyss*****, Leviathan*** and Deep Star Six**).

Not much to say here, except that it is a shame we still get dished up movies on DVD in the full screen version.
While I can still understand it for a movie in a ratio 1.66:1, where the cropping of the image would be minimal if at all, for a movie filmed in 1.85:1, 2.35:1 and up it is simply unforgivable.

Mostly movies by Universal are dished up like this (see the recent release of "Colossus - The Forbin Project", or even a splendid movie like "Iceman" starring Timothy Hutton and John Lone).

Also a shame are all those movies send to the market in mono, when they were originally released in Stereo Surround sound in theaters (see MGM/UA's release of "Meteor", starring Sean Connery and Natalie Wood and "Midway" starring Robert Mitchum and Glenn Ford).

This simply shows that the industry has absolutely no respect for their audiences, or worse, that they consider them stupid.

It is even more amazing, since all the above titles were released at one time on Laserdisc with their original soundtracks and image ratios intact.
I should know, because I own them and therefore I have living proof in my hands that ever since Laserdiscs have been discontinued in favor of DVDs, the industry has made steps backward instead of ahead as the technology proves.

Yet they allow themselves the luxury to play games with us, instead of practicing what they always preach: excellence.
Some Hollywood dinosaurs should really die off if they cannot prove they still can maintain a bit of decency and honesty of the trade.

It is not enough to make a quick buck, my dears.
You need to really get back to work if you want to stay alive...
This is truly my honest suggestion to the industry, if they really want to go on producing movies.

For the DVD quality, there is little to be said. A bit better than the VHS version, at least in the title section, but still, being in Full Screen one has a difficulty to keep focus throughout the action scenes, since everything is framed at 1.33:1, hence confused for this sort of movie.

Not recommended at all.

Wait for a real reissue of this movie, and possibly in Widescreen.

Crew of an ocean floor naval base blasts open an underwater cavern and unwittingly releases an ugly, vicious sea monster. One by one, they are decimated until only a couple manage to kill the beast and escape.

Although LEVIATHAN has a higher production value and more involved plot, DEEP STAR SIX has the edge because of its likable and sympathetic cast. Each one of these folks are people that I could run into on the street any day. They are all believable and very human. LEVIATHAN, on the other hand, has virtually no interesting characters. Instead, we have a bunch of posturing actors pretending to be blue-collar grunts. Not for a minute do you forget that they are acting.

DEEP STAR SIX has my vote. Another plus: unlike LEVIATHAN, this film isn't as determined to rip off ALIEN at every turn. Check DSS out. It's severely underrated.

Of the two 80's "what lies beneath the surface of the sea" sci-fi flicks (leviathan being the other) this one had a very attractive male cast. Greg Evigan was fun to watch wet not to mention Matt McCoy's delicious blue eyes.

The story was lack luster and the female characters were less than 2 dimensional, they were 1 dimensional if that's even possible and the creature wasn't near as menacing as the Leviathan beastie. It was like a goofy cockroach.

Overall though it is still a fun flick to watch, but will really only appeal to lovers of the underwater suspense horror flicks, which is kind of a niche thing at best.

ok it rips-off alien,the thing, and every movie it thinks it can to tell story of people living under water tring to set up missile base on floor of the ocean, and awaken some kind of "monster" that doesn't even get started til over 2/3 's of the movie is over. more action movie than sci-fi/horror here but i still like it a little. slow and very dark it is hard to tell what's happening sometimes.

It's a fun B movie, perfect for a certain mood, with a terrific musical score by the very under-rated Harry Manfredini (House, Friday 13th). Take it with a grain of salt. Worth it for the cheese factor and some of the suspense sequences and epsecially the use of orchestra during action.