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Ghost Ship (Full Screen Edition)

Ghost Ship (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $14.96
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A most enjoyable horror romp
Review: Ok, so this isn't really that scary, and admittedly it is highly derivative, but having said this I still find that this movie is good fun. As others have commented, this movie has a memorable opening and the tempo of the movie thereafter is maintained. Unlike some movies that die half way or drag on at the end, the plot here moves along nicely, with the supernatural encounters coming in at regular intervals as the truth about the ship and her passengers is gradually revealed. The ghost ship in the movie brings back memories of the overlook hotel from "the shining", and supernatural forces of both good and evil are present. The acting is more than respectable, and above average for a movie without household name actors in it. Special effects are well placed, and overall you get the feeling that you have got what you paid for after seeing this film.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lost at Sea, and Hopefully Never Found
Review: "Ghost Ship" is one of those films that draw you in because the basic idea sounds great. An outfit of ship salvagers out of Alaska receives a tip from a man named Ferriman about a mysterious ship that suddenly appeared in the middle of the Bering Strait. On closer examination, the ship turns out to be the Antonia Graza, an Italian cruise liner lost since the early 1960s. The salvage crew gets immensely excited because the ship promises millions in finder's fees. The eventual discovery of gold bars on the ship promises even more wealth, in the 200-300 million dollar range. Regrettably, a few small problems arise during the exploration of the rusted hulk of the ship. The salvage tug blows up under mysterious circumstances, killing one of the crew and leaving the surviving members trapped on the abandoned ship. Even worse, several of the other salvagers encounter eerie ghosts wandering the Antonia Graza, ghosts who seem to take a serious interest in keeping them on board permanently. Top this off with the discovery of a hole in the hull of the ship which promises to sink not only the dreams of the salvage operation but cost them their lives as well and you have the fundamental premise of this horror film. As great as this idea sounds, "Ghost Ship" fails on nearly every level. Bad acting, a bad script, a bad soundtrack, ineffective gore, and a lack of interesting characters plague this film at every step.

Let's start with the gore. The film opens with a flashback about what happened to the passengers on the Antonia Graza. A dance party is underway on the deck, with lots of rich Europeans hobnobbing and generally having a good time. Suddenly, an incredibly bloody encounter with a wire leaves the deck awash in red. The scene is imaginative, of that there is no doubt, but the special effects are rather tepid. An event like this, if it really happened, would result in a veritable tidal wave of the sticky stuff. Instead, we get some lame mannequins and blood that is far too bright (and in insufficient quantities) to prove convincing. Additional scenes, including an unpleasant encounter with a hook, are equally unimpressive and too sparing with the sauce. In an extra on the DVD, the special effects team discusses how they created these scenes for the movie, and one of the guys was wearing a Tom Savini T-shirt. I found myself wishing Savini had done the effects for "Ghost Ship." They would have been much better.

With the presence of Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, and Gabriel Byrne, you would think the acting might give "Ghost Ship" a boost. Think again. It is unlikely any high-powered actor or actress could have salvaged much from this plodding script. Byrne sleepwalks his way through his role as captain of the salvaging crew, and Margulies is superficial in the "tough chick doing the guy thing" role that has been done to death in recent years. Eldard fades into the background as one of the welders on the operation, reduced to sneering and laughing his way through the part. The lesser characters are even more forgettable. I think the biggest problem I had with this film involved the acting and the characters because I quickly realized that I didn't like any of them. The macho image projected by all of the characters made me completely indifferent to their individual fates. It's tough to work up any sympathy when characters that are jerks die off in a movie, and every character here is a jerk.

One benefit of seeing "Ghost Ship" on DVD is the plethora of extras. There is plenty of stuff here for the curious viewer. You can watch a documentary containing actor interviews, a documentary on the special effects, a little "game" where you find four short clips with extra information about the cruise ship, and the usual spate of filmographies on cast and crew. But even here there are problems: An "interview" with Francesca, the ghostly singer on the cruise liner, is laughable due to her cheesy Italian accent (the actress is actually Italian and it STILL sounds cheesy and unbelievable) and the gauzy camera shots of her dressing for a performance. The tone of this extra footage made me feel as though I was watching one of those international coffee commercials.

I should also mention the soundtrack and cinematography of the film. The long arm of "The Matrix" reaches into the depths of the Antonia Graza, with wildly inappropriate bursts of techno music mixed with the type of jarring camera shots I've come to hate with a passion. I wish filmmakers would quit using gimmicks for no other reason than gimmickry's sake. It adds nothing to character development and is offensive to someone who actually has an attention span that lasts longer than three seconds.

With a host of insurmountable flaws to overcome, "Ghost Ship" founders on the shores of banality. Anyone looking for effective scares, intriguing characters, and a plot without holes that you couldn't sail an ocean liner through will need to look elsewhere. I fervently pray that no salvage team attempts to raise the wreck that is "Ghost Ship."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ghost Ship
Review: About 40 years ago, a bloody massacre occured on a beautiful Italian ocean liner. Now, a crew of ocean explorers are planning to camp out on the ship and drag the gigantic thing to shore. But, when on the ship, the crew members discover that ghosts and spirits of the massacred people still dwell on the ship, and they must find a way to defeat them. Along the way, they will discover horrifying secrets about each other...
I think this movie is very well acted, very well laid out and very well filmed. The one thing I have to complain about is the lack of unsuspecting horror. Things are sort of predictable, but fortunately, it does still have some qualities that make this film rather atmospherically creepy. I'd see this again anytime!
But beware, this film has alot of gore and is NOT for people with weak stomachs or easily scared imaginations.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not the best script in the horror files
Review: After all the hype, this movie failed to live up to the scary expectations that were promised.

Although the acting was passable, the sets were remarkable, the lighting was effective, there was still a lot to be desired with this film.

The real highlight of the DVD came from all the extra's where we were given an inside look at the creation of the special effects as well as the film development.

It doesn't have a decent shelf life that would command repeat viewings. Personally, this is one to rent before you buy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: NOT BAD AT ALL...In fact, VERY GOOD!
Review: It wasn't as scary as I'd hoped, but it was a great movie nonetheless. The acting was very good, it had a GREAT story line and the twist was fantastic. It was more of a weird movie with a few scary moments. The gore scenes are just plain disgusting! Don't get me wrong, the gore isn't overdone, it's just done very vividly!
I give credit where credit is due. This movie was VERY WELL DONE, from the acting to the special effects, and it deserves much better reviews than others have given it. In fact, I'd love to know what are these people looking for?
I do have a complaint though...there is a little too much cursing for my liking. But this complaint of mine is a complaint I have with a lot of movies(I think the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies have too much cursing in them, so take that opinion for what it's worth). I realize there probably would be a lot of people saying the Lords name in vain if they were faced with the horror these characters were faced with. However, I took off a star for that, but added it right back because of all the unreasonable poor reviews given to this movie. I say, "A+ FOR A MOVIE WELL DONE." THIS MOVIE IS A MUST HAVE for any spook-horror fans!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: tolerable
Review: This was an interesting concept, but not terribly scary or exciting. Some nice visuals-cool cover pic. Odd soundtrack though-40 year flashback with hip hop backing was a bit weird.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Meh
Review: The beginning was good, I agree, nice way to get rid of lot's of people. The cast was good as well, but the movie was not scary!... I mean come on, I was expecting a horror, and i got to see like what, 3 ghosts that looked like normal people?
Oh yea and the twist in the end wasn't that shocking. Not a horrible waste of time and money, but still, I was expecting to see a horror, and what i ended up feeling was sea-sick.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Adrift in a sea of lame visuals and cheap thrills.
Review: Despite a gruesome and creative opening, Ghost Ship fails after the first 10 or 15 minutes. Why? Because it's amazingly predictable and by the numbers horror. All the usual suspects are gathered and dispatched with an alarming paucity of imagination.

The plot is pretty simple: In 1963 a luxury ship disappears at sea without a trace. Nearly 40 years later, a salvage crew discovers the boat still on the ocean being carried by the currents. Although there's no one alive on board, there's every sign that someone has been there recently. That's when the scary stuff starts to happen.

There's a stellar acting crew aboard the ship. Everyone from Gabriel Bryne to Julianna Margulies gives routine performances. Despite the pedigree of the cast, they are clearly uninspired by the weak material.

It's amazing and rather sad that this type of material is produced today. Sadly, the horror films that have come out over the last couple of years (with a few exceptions)demonstrate a real lack of understanding about what makes films both effective and scary. Creating a shock a minute and gruesome make up and visual effects doesn't make a compelling horror film by themselves. It takes a literate, intelligent script with engaging characters. Ghost Ship has neither.

Director Steve Beck has demonstrated that he has the skills to do by the numbers films. He's a talented director rudderless in a sea of mediocre material. Without any inspired material, Beck's films just don't work. This is the type of Z movie material that might have made for a good laugh on a Creature Features television series but today it's pretty inexcusible. A pity as there was an interesting idea at the center of Ghost Ship. Unfortunately, like a lot of materail that gets churned out from Hollywood today, this seed never took root.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ghost ship
Review: Since the movie Deep Rising I have not seen a movie with not only the opening scene but also the intensity of the
Alfred Hitchkock genere of twists. this movie is pure adrenaline edge on your seat fear. Just when you think you have figured it out, it comes back again and again to put a end to that, it's not until the last when all hope is lost that you get to smile amongs't your feel good about the movie and still try to calm yourself down afterwards and say but it's only a movie. It is a movie that stay's with you. A surprising movie of the year.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Effects
Review: Very good visuals and over all good look to the film. Decent plot and the lead actress was VERY good. Bad guy was a little weak. Super sound track! It is a little more gory than I had thought it would be. I like it and it is a good "date" movie.


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