Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfully dark fairytale, March 31, 2002
By A Customer
I really expected to dislike this movie. I found it while flipping around channels late one night on HBO. HBO was advertising it as a "modern" Creature Feature, that is reminiscent of "old time" creature features (ie Creature From the Black Lagoon). I was intrigued--especially when I heard it was about a mermaid--ever since I was a little girl, I've liked to read myth & folklore & I've always been a bit disappointed that in the movies mermaids were always depicted as being friendly & cheerful, when, in most legend, they were the total opposite. Still, I thought that the movie had the potential to be really awful & cheesy. It certainly was not. It had wonderful acting & great writing for a horror movie--it was like a dark fairytale. Although the mermaid is quite vicious, she is still a complex character with feelings--you feel sorry for her even though she scares you. The cast is wonderful, and the mermaid is so beautiful! There was no CGI for a change (or at least, so little of it that I didn't notice it) , all the creature effects were made the old-fashioned way (by pure talent!) which was so cool. I highly recommend this movie. It's alot of fun and stylistically very nice to look at. A nice change for anybody who's sick of horror films with loads of computer animation & special effects but no storyline. Or for those who'd enjoy a good, creepy, dark fairytale with a wonderfully unique feminist slant to it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jaws ... with Siren's Awesome Beauty Blessed!, June 23, 2002
This may be my first DVD purchase from Sony Pictures "Creature Feature" collection but, if there are others with the same cynical tongue-in-cheek humor, imaginative twist of storyline, and horror- drama thrills, it will be the first of many! Thoroughly enjoyable! Who would have ever thought that the mysteries of the deep could be so deliciously dangerous! Rya Kihlstedt plays the She Creature (the word "mermaid" lacks the depth and dimension to describe her) while Rufus Sewell and Carla Gugino (as Angus and Lillie) play an exploitative carnival-sideshow couple whose sense of humanity is sufficiently diverse to be exploited by a more subtle, more ruthless mind! Together they play an interesting variation on the menage-a-trois theme. The supporting cast does a praiseworthy job too! They magnificently keep the movie sailing on above the dramatic limitations of filming 95% of a story on board a poorly-lit wooden ship! However, there's plenty of color added to the story by greed, sensuality, antagonism, distrust, patience, lies, seduction, past histories, propriety, humor, etc. Excellent sound effects and music help emphasize moments of possible telepathic communication and psychic possession (even impregnation of female by female!); also, precognitive dreams in restless sleep heighten the suspense and help define what dreadful fate awaits ... unless ...! Anyhow, an atmosphere as dreadful as a mysterious Marie Celeste tale is created, then, with tensions heightened, tightened ... agonizingly tightened ... ah! But, you'd best view this movie yourself to know what happens next! If you enjoy horror-thrillers, you won't mind the suspense of the wait! And the movie? Well, you may even love it!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The PostModern Monster Boatride, April 26, 2002
Finally, a tale that seems to pay homage to the old monster genre without taking away some of the modern movie appeal (or the reason they should be appealing). Now, I'm not one for spoilers (and despise them, actually), so I won't try to flash the high points of the movie away. Instead, I'll say that the concept of the movie, a mermaid being something that could be sinister (as well they should) and a bit unpredictable, actually kept me watching. It went outside of the normal bounds of this otherwise restricted character, giving the creature an ominous tone even when it wasn't horrifying. The supporting cast also propelled the movie forward, doing a superb job acting (and dying) to the delight of this hard to please audience. This, added to the fact that the build worked out and there weren't huge holes in the storyline made me glad I picked it up to watch. All in all, I have to say that this movie was a wonderful breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant time for movie making, giving effects without CGI (something I like, but don't have to have) without sacrificing the integrity of modern effectiveness. Also, the clarity of the movie is superb, the storyline works really well, and the creature - o, the creature. I have to say that when Stan Winston puts his seal on a project, you know it'll be done right (well, the effects will be done right, anyway). Its worth watching.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
