DEEPSTAR SIX is quite the strange movie.
It is a film that was suggested to me via email (the preferred method of film suggestion… reeljondoe@gmail.com) by a fellow Aint It Cooler and, after watching its trailer, somewhat grabbed me. Only having seen one of the other 1989 underwater creature “classics” (THE ABYSS) I felt it an appropriate time to add to my collection. As per the norm, I did a bit of my research online and found many proclaiming it to be an exact replica of the year’s LEVIATHAN. Reading that it was the better of the two, I almost decided to jump ship and ride with that one, but let me be honest, I liked the name of this one better. That being said, I sat down with DEEPSTAR SIX completely oblivious to the shit show of a great time I was in for.
The film starts off as any generic military based sci-fi flick would. We meet the crew who, through their scope of work, have been forced to live in a severely closed quarter infrastructure. The opening moments have the audience watching as they go about what seems to be a daily routine. It’s rather bland and feels like something that’s happened over and over again, but the film’s shining points lie in the performances that the opening act’s mundane crew members demonstrate when the action cannibalizes all that is real, delivering pronouncedly subpar special effects and a horrendously enjoyable antagonistic monster to askew the status quo. Its an exercise in unexceptionality that, while I’ve heard makes the film just another copy cat clone in its day and age, gave it enough oomph to get me going as I enjoyed watching it here, on my couch, 20+ years later.
As I mentioned, it involves an underwater crew living in tight quarters. The US Navy has sent a team of oceanographers to the depths of the sea to gather data, ultimately in the efforts to establish a missile base deep beneath the water’s surface. Somehow, they wind up deciding upon a location that has been known for disappearances and, upon initial investigations, sits right above a large cavern. In proceeding with protocol, they seemingly unearth a prehistoric abomination that can only be described as a squid gator with a “lobster-like mouth, crab claws and a reptilian tail.” It’s awful, yet amazing.
The rest of the film is spent watching the crew try to survive the onslaught of this beast, while dealing with the social and political disputes among each other. It’s a somewhat cookie cutter affair, but somewhere in it’s direction by Friday The 13th’s very own Sean S. Cunningham, it manages to have a bit of it’s own livelihood about it, mostly brought about from the execution he manages to extract from his players, who bring what could have easily been a mundane film to life.
Don’t get me wrong, this film is a monster of a monster monstrosity, but one of its sanctifying points lies in its acting. Despite the lack of character buildup, exposition and decent dialogue, I found solace in the performances. It’s a case of making the ultimate best out of what is handed to you, script-wise, and somewhere in each actor’s on screen presence, I was able to get a feeling for the drama between ship’s crew members, and ultimately, for the craziness created when things go awry.
My personal favorite in the film is Miguel Ferrer. Known for his role in ROBOCOP, he brings that perfect “frenemy” element to naval communications officer, Snyder. Every time he’s on the screen, he totally steals the show with that look on his face that sells every element of his being. Surprisingly, his character is not as completely debased as Ferrer’s typical fares, but he feverishly winds up being just as destructive in the endgame. Oh, and not to give it ALL away, the "conclusion” of his character is one of film’s better “final results”. I’m a big fan of psychosomatic trauma.
All being said, this movie is a pleasant atrocity. A science fiction film typically has to ride on its believability, a facet that, more often than not, stems from exceptional special effects and seemingly real life reactions to unrealistic scenarios. While completely forgoing one, DEEPSTAR SIX happens to have the latter, outright falling flat on its face so hard in the effects category, that it’s ridiculousness becomes somewhat of a comedic attribute. I’m sure the majority of you out there are going to come back and tell me about all the rest of 1989’s deep-sea cinema, but having only seen THE ABYSS (and that being quite some time ago), I managed to excavate some value from this one. If you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, check it out on Netflix. If it’s new to you, you might find some joy in its madness and if it isn’t the nostalgia factor alone might be worth the ride. Enjoy.
Deuces.
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