Where to watch Deep Rising
3 Stars
Deep Rising is a goofy, slick, and highly entertaining B-movie that is mixed parts Poseidon Adventure, Indiana Jones, and a 1950’s creature feature. It’s headlined by the always reliable Treat Williams and was scripted and directed by Stephen Sommers who would achieve massive success the following year with The Mummy. The fast-paced film is full of action, flippant dialogue, and an overall self-deprecating tone. This is a film with modest ambitions and on that basis, it is a success.
As the film opens we meet John Finnegan (Treat Williams), captain of a sea vessel that is transporting a group of mercenaries to an unspecified point in the ocean. The soldiers are paying top dollar for the ride but are tight-lipped on the mission. Their objective is revealed to be a swanky cruise liner that contains a vast wealth of jewelry and other riches. However, the cruise ship is attacked by a deep-sea creature and the passengers have been slaughtered. Finnegan and the mercs are horrified at the carnage they discover once onboard, they stumble onto a cat burglar (Famke Janssen) who has been locked in a cabin as a makeshift holding cell. The attractive thief and Finnegan have to rely on one another to make it off of the sinking vessel while not being eaten by the monster moving through-out the ship.
Deep Rising firmly belongs in the guilty pleasure category. Is it a great film? No.But the effects are good, the characters are likable, the creature is neat, and somehow it all comes together to make an enjoyable B schlock horror/comedy that left me with a big smile on my face. Kevin J. O’Connor is a crack-up as the all to truthful engineer, he steals the show every time he appears on-screen.
Director: Stephen Sommers
Stars: Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald