Below

Rating:
Summary: Below is Above the Rest
Review: "Below" has got to be the most underated ghost film of all time. Like it's title, this film managed to fly below movie radar screens which is unfortunate because it definitely delivers EVERYTHING that the over-rated and more commerically successful "Ghost Ship" was suppose to do.

Not only is the film scarier, it's suspenseful and totally believable. You leave the film caring about the characters and saddened by some of their fates. What I like best about the film is the way it underplayed scenes that other directors would have easily exploited. The script is well-written and well thought out. Finally, a ghost film made with intelligence!

The one disappointment that I had with the film was the lack of recognition during the Academy Award ceremonies. I thought for sure the film would get nods in the technical categories...especially in sound, sound editing, cinematography, art direction, film editing and original screenplay. The sound, especially, has a life of its own in this film and is a crucial element in this film.

If you're looking for a film that stands above the crowded sea of disappointing ghost films (The Haunting, Ghost Ship, etc.), I suggest you scratch 'Below' the surface and give it a viewing. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: GHOST SHIP IT AIN'T!
Review: In fact it's more like Event Horizon underwater. The first half was pretty cool and built up a good deal of suspense. But as it nears the end the story falls into incoherence and suffers from obviously deleted scenes. If the script were tighter then this film could have been great as David Twohy's direction is not really to blame.

He creates a unique atmosphere and nice underwater visuals that give the film an original look. I just wish that the horror/spooky aspect of the movie were stronger. When the ghosts appear they do so in a genuinely creepy way that seems 'realistic'. It's these parts of Below that I like but it gets way too silly towards the end. The cast is unusually solid with the exception of Olivia Williams, who is horribly miscast and fails to make any connection with the audience or bring her character to life.

The DVD is sports a powerful Dolby 5.1 soundtrack with a great looking 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!!
Review: I didn't know what to expect here but I really enjoyed this movie. The cover stated "Underwater no-one can hear you scream" so I figured it was gonna be a water-logged "Alien"-type monster pic. Not so! It is a very atmospheric, very spooky psychological thriller on board a WWII submarine. Some GREAT visuals...especially that final shot (I wont spoil the story by telling you what it is). This is really a submarine of secrets and you don't know what will happen next. Nearly everything does. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Far better than Ghost ship could have hoped to be.
Review: This is all about atmosphere. You never really know if what is happening is real or not. You really feel the same way that the characters should be feeling at the same moment. You feel confused and scared. The whole movie is covered in eerie goo. The movie is practically dripping with it. There is a little bit of a plot to figure out that lends itself to explaining why things are as they seem to be. But, then again, are they? Does any of it happen? Or, is everyone suffering from guilt and letting their minds play games with them? I don't know, nor will you, but you will be just as confused as they are in the movie and that is a good thing. This will disturb and scare you.
Far better than Ghost Ship is. But then again, what movie isn't better than Ghost Ship?

Rating:
Summary: Great Idea that Doesn¿t Bog Down
Review: A ghost story set within a submarine? What a novel idea! I mean...being inside a dark submarine is kind of creepy as it is, right? Add in a touch of mystery, suspense, and horror (equal parts) and you have yourself a movie. It helps that Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) helped write and David Twohy (Pitch Black) skillfully directs it. Plus, Bruce Greenwood (13 Days) delivers another understated performance that will make him an actor to watch in the coming years. But he doesn't steal the show, as all of the actors do a wonderful job. Those expecting a horror movie will be disappointed because this is more of a mystery with horror elements. The mystery involves who is haunting the ship and why. The movie moves at a nice pace and is not overly long, which sabotages some submarine movies in my recent memory. But the scares are pretty much pedestrian: people all of a sudden appear surprising a character, eerie sounds, etc. There is one very effective scare tactic involving a mirror that makes a crew member go crazy. I probably would have too had it been me looking into the mirror.

This movie should have received more attention before hitting the video stands and hopefully will get more attention now. There are not a lot of extra features, but those that are on the disc are very well done. For instance, the deleted scenes are kept to five (instead of feeling like you are watching yet another movie) and the documentary is presented in a very unique way. We get to see setting up the scenes and the actors caught on videotape, but it's the presentation that sets it apart. A diagram of the sub is shown and the camera travels to different areas of the sub to show what scenes were shot where. It always confuses me how subs are laid out, and this helped to some degree.

Rating:
Summary: A neglected but solid murder mystery, ghost, WWII movie!
Review: When I read the cover for this DVD, it said "cross between Poltergeist and U-571." I found this to be a very rough over simplification. I braced myself for something along the lines of "Ghost Ship" (blood and gore). I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself trying to solve a murder mystery with supernatural overtones. I would rate this film at four and a half stars and say it has been overlooked by the general public. It is an American-British collaboration with some very solid performances and chemistry between roles. The story boils down to what a sailor calls a "malediction" in the movie, a wrongful death with a spirit left to haunt the ship seeking justice. If you enjoy the mental challenge of adding up the clues as they appear one by one, you will definitely enjoy this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Below...Why Did Dimension Leave It Below?
Review: Why did Dimension Films and Video give this movie the cold shoulder? It had a great story, cast (including: Bruce Greenwood "Double Jeopardy", Matt Davis "Legally Blonde", Olivia Williams "The Sixth Sense", Scott Foley "Scream 3"), and director David Twohy "Pitch Black". All the ingredients for a great movie. I guess giving it a limited release and more of a straight to video status was better than a blockbuster hit. It was very scary and disturbing to watch at times, but very much entertaining. My favorite part was when they went out of the sub and were surrounded by those enormous manta rays. See this movie you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Boring submarine film, No special effect/computer graphic
Review: This is absolutely a boring film. The submarine is supposed to be made before 1945 but it looks like a product made in 1980! There is NO computer graphic or any special effect in this film. You can see all crews from the beginning to the end very scared of nothing. I say nothing because there is nothing in the sub(no ghost at all). Just another psychological drama(poorly made)! Don't buy its DVD, or it'll be waste of money!

Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: I absolutely loved this film! Very few horror films actually scare me and I do not consider that looking away from the screen simply to avoid seeing something unpleasant is akin to being scared. The director uses what I would call the "old fashioned scares" to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. These include such scenes as faces appearing in condensation on walls, diverse reflections in mirrors, darkness, sounds and so on, all of which contribute to a feeling of over-ripe evil.

There are some similarities between this film and John Carpenter's "The Fog," which are evident in the scene where the voice of Captain Winters is heard in the lieutenant's cabin and then the nautical setting (although not all of The Fog takes place on a boat, or even out at sea), but the majority of this film is based on new and innovative ideas by its director. What also strikes is the fact that I could not find that many correlations between this film and the director's earlier film, "Pitch Black," which certainly shows him to be creative, rather than repetitive.

I give this film full marks for genuine scares, new ideas, great acting and an intriguing story and script. Definitely, this is one to watch!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Ghost Story
Review: If you like ghost stories (as distinct from slashers), this is a great movie. It is obvious that director David Twohy loves the movie-maker's art; he has a splendid eye for good shot, and, most importantly, he develops characters that you care about - which makes it all the more terrifying when they are in danger. It should be obvious that good characters are the heart of a movie, but it seems like character development often takes a back seat to special effects these days. Twohy uses his movie-making toolbox - special effects, music, angle, lighting, and set - to enhance his actors and dialogue, rather than eclipsing them. The movie still hangs on the flicker of an eyelid, an annoyed glance, or a look of absolute terror - not on how cool the explosion was.

Twohy also explores the masculine world - whether consciously or unconsciously, I don't know. Either way, it is refreshing. Masculinity traditionally was fairly clearly defined in the movies. Lately, it seems to be a problematic topic - as if masculinity is dangerous and must be apologized for by making sympathic male characters boyish, charming, and aw shucks (at any age), and unsympathic ones psychopathic. Movie men used to be far more complex! I enjoyed Mr. Loomis's powerful masculinity in this film (played by Holt McCallany), and was fascinated by Mr. Brice's weakness (played by Bruce Greenwood). Neither were boyish or psychopathic - they were both grown, powerful men. That dangerous edge made the movie far more fun. It's the same sort of energy that made Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) in "Pitch Black" so interesting.

I'm confused about why this movie wasn't released more widely. I looked for "Below" at the theater, but couldn't find any evidence it ever came to Oregon. I researched Mr. Twohy's past movies, and found one from 1992 ("Grand Tour - Disaster in Time") that they shelved and didn't release until after "Pitch Black" did so well. The reviewers of that movie said it was great, and expressed confusion at the decision not to release it. And "Below" came out after "Pitch Black" - a very successful movie - which makes their poor advertising and limited release all the more mysterious.