Review of "Deep Rising (1998)"

Deep Rising (1998)

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and Leviation, like two ships meeting on the ocean

Stephen Sommers tests the waters, pre-Mummy, with this cheese-ladened romp on the South China seas. This is not a barren, lifeless ocean but one brimming with celebrities : Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Djimon Hounsou, Wes Studi, Kevin J. O'Connor, Jason Flemyng and Cliff Curtis. Oh yeah, and there's a creature as well. It is some monstrous leviathan that grew out of the mysterious and deepest depths of the ocean.

A boat full or mercenaries, a cruise ship, a prolific thief, the ocean and a monster. Stephen manages to combine all these elements into an enjoyable romp. This movie has much of the same elements as some of Stephen's other movies - The Mummy, the Mummy Returns and the Scorpion King. There are elements of a heist, a survival horror and even some comedy. It also has action. It has graphic deaths. It has a somewhat skewed logic. And there is the campy humor. Much like Stephen's other movies, the cast seems to display a lot of chemistry. They work well together. The movie also doesn't drag. The pace of the movie is quick and enjoyable. I especially enjoy the comic timings of Kevin J. O'Connor (the multi-religious Beni from the Mummy).

This isn't a movie full of deeper meaning and metaphors. This is just a fun movie. If you enjoy movies like the Mummy, Evil Dead, Phantasm and Shaun of the Dead, then you will most likely enjoy this. Until then, just try to figure out how to get a fish in and out of that bottle.