Below | | Cast : | Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Davis | | Director : | David Twohy | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | January 01, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | April 05, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 30, 2005 | | Summary | Very cool! | Content
 | I'd have to say that the 2 kings of horror movies are New Line Cimemas and Dimension. I'd have to give my favor to Dimension for being alot more open with making alot of straight to video films (Below, Mimic 2, Mimic 3, From Dusk Till Dawn 2, and 3). Anyway, onto Below, one of the coolest movies I've ever seen. Directed (not sure if written) by David Twohy who directed Pitch Black, and The Chronicles of Riddick. He also wrote a screenplay for Alien 3 which wasn't used, but what a coincidence: 2 people from Alien 3 star in this movie. Hmm...
Anyway for a straight to video release this is one of the best quality films ever. There aren't really many video release period piece movies, but this is set during WWII on a submarine. That's a little heavy duty for a V movie. So, yes, it is a sort of thriller. I don't know if I'd go with horror. It's sort of like an M. Night Shyamalan movie without really disturbing stuff. There are some really good techniques like showing the ghost's reflection almost unnoticably and you're like "Holy ****! Something was just there!". What I really love about this film is the fact that Twohy doesn't shove our faces into uncomfortable situations IE POV shots of people walking into dark rooms waiting for something to pop out in a startling moment. What this really does is focus on the people that are aboard the submarine which is unusual for this type of movie. Usually the only thing that really drives a movie is seeing alot of people die bloody deaths, but this movie focuses on the people dealing with the fact that there IS a ghost under water with them in a very clausterphobic atmosphere. The style of filmmaking is really cool, and the storytelling is really good also. The main thing I'd have to say that brings it down is Matt Davis being one of the main characters. He's about as good an acter as Kevin Kostner, well a little better I guess. If you've seen Tigerland he's the main character in that. Not Colin Farrel, the other guy. Anyway I think that if you like scary movies, but are sick of seeing teens get their heads chopped off and cheap scares like The Ring, than you should see this movie. It's really cool, I'm serious! |
| Rating | | | Date | February 09, 2005 | | Summary | Creepiness fore and aft | Content
| When I heard about a horror movie called "Below" set on a submarine during World War II, I knew I had to sit up and take note. I also noticed that Darren Aronofsky wrote the screenplay. If you don't know this chap, he's the guy who translated Hubert Selby's shattering novel about drug addiction, "Requiem for a Dream," to the silver screen. Moreover, "Pitch Black" director David Twohy stepped in to lens the picture. Sounds great, doesn't it? There is as much talent in front of the camera as there is behind it, too. But putting all of that aside, isn't it great when someone makes a submarine picture? We just don't see enough of these movies today, or not enough GOOD submarine pictures. I suspect "Das Boot" sort of ruined the genre for everyone else--that, and the excellent "The Hunt for Red October." Once someone makes an excellent film in any particular genre, all other efforts must inevitably measure up or be considered a failure. "Below" contains many scenes found in other submarine films--the claustrophobia of life in a tin box beneath the waves and the horror of dodging depth charges are two examples that come to mind immediately--but the movie differs by adding a horror twist to the mix.
The troubles start when the captain of the USS Tiger Shark (the submarine in question) goes overboard after sinking an enemy vessel. Now commanded by Brice (Bruce Greenwood), the ship picks up three survivors from a sinking British medical ship on the way back to port. The crew of submariners, always a superstitious lot in the grand tradition of sailors everywhere, strenuously objects to picking up these survivors. Why? Not because they are hardhearted but because one of them is a female nurse and everyone knows a woman onboard translates into the worst of luck. Sometimes superstitions ring true. No sooner does Nurse Claire (Olivia Williams) arrive than weird things start happening. A German ship draws a bead on the sub and drops lots of depth charges, a couple of which seriously damage the submarine. Even worse, weird and unexplainable events start popping up with frightening regularity, for example the deceased captain's record player springing to life at the worst possible times. The crew starts to hear strange noises outside the vessel, noises that defy attempts to explain them away as whale songs or other predictable sounds. An assessment of the sub's damage confirms that hydrogen levels in the ship are rising to amounts that can cause hallucinations and paranoia. The boat is also suffering from an oil leak that threatens to destroy the engines.
At some point in the narrative, Brice begins to deteriorate mentally. So does the rest of the crew, several members of which begin to see odd reflections and shadows inside the ship. By the time a bunch of the guys have to don scuba gear and go outside to repair the leak the viewer comes to expect imminent disaster. Not yet, though. One more horrific event takes place that sends the crew of the USS Tiger Shark into paroxysms of fear: the sub begins to chart a course back to the scene of the sinking that resulted in the captain's demise. This is a problem on two fronts. One, no one set a such a course, which leads many to surmise that the ghost of the captain is definitely onboard. Two, the damage to the submarine requires immediate repair, which won't happen if the crew can no longer steer the vessel. Oh dear. Does a ghost genuinely haunt the USS Tiger Shark? Or is a much more human cause at the heart of the weird goings on? It's to the film's credit that we can never say for sure exactly what causes these creepy incidents. One thing we do learn is that Brice and a few other crewmembers share a few secrets about what really happened to the sub's captain, secrets that will inevitably come to the surface (pun intended) as disaster looms on the horizon.
I liked "Below" for several reasons. First, the performances are first rate. Greenwood gives a nuanced performance as Brice; it's a tricky role in that the actor can't suddenly turn into a raving maniac but must gradually reveal his character's mental deterioration. This Greenwood does effectively. Another welcome character is Weird Wally (Zach Galifianakis), who serves up necessary doses of comic relief whenever things get too weird on the submarine. Matthew Davis plays Ensign Odell, the obligatory hero character who eventually begins to question Brice's increasingly bizarre actions. "Below" also effectively uses CGI and sound effects to create a creepy atmosphere. And what an atmosphere! Think about it for a second--you can walk out of a haunted building, but where are you going to go when a spirit pops up on a submarine that risks attack if it surfaces? Exactly. About the only problem I had with the movie concerns the huge cast of characters. So many people step forward at various times that it is difficult in the extreme to keep track of them all. It's actually a small problem that fortunately doesn't interfere with the effectiveness of the movie.
A commentary track with Twohy and a few cast members, deleted scenes, a making of feature, and trailers for "Dracula 2002," "Halloween: Resurrection," "Tangled," and "Undisputed" round out the disc. While I don't think "Below" ranks as the best horror movie made in the last few years, I do think horror fans should pay it a visit. Fans of submarine films will probably want to give "Below" a watch too.
|
| Rating | | | Date | January 22, 2005 | | Summary | Ghost story with a submarine motif | Content
| You have seen this story a million times. There is nothing new and no new twists. It is just a strait forward ghost story that just happens to be on a submarine instead of a hotel or in a bayou. It is still fun to watch this rendition.
A US Sub in WWII picks up a life-boat with three passengers. There is something suspicious about the passengers and their situation. While we are keeping our eyes on the life-boat passengers, we come to realize that maybe they are not the suspicious ones here. Is some insidious force out to get revenge or set things straight?
|
| Rating | | | Date | January 13, 2005 | | Summary | Nice | Content
| The only reason why I saw this was because the name Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For A Dream, Pi) was attached to it. Not as a director but as a co-writer and a producer. Sources say this movie was actually suppose to have been directed by Darren but he decided to do Requiem For A Dream instead, and for that.. I really can't blame him since Requiem For A Dream was one of my favorite movies. Anyway, the movie was done by the director David Twohy who is known for Pitch Black and for the upcoming Riddick. Even though I would have loved to see what Aronofsky could have done this movie, we don't always get what we want but even so, David Twohy did a good job with this little unknown film.
An extremely claustrophobic thriller that naturally takes place inside of a submarine with bunch of crew members who are hiding a dark secret. An American submarine in a middle of a World War II picks up two Brits and one of them just so happens to be a very attractive lady, Claire Paige (Olivia Williams, Sixth Sense, Rushmore). Naturally, with nothing but men in the submarine, problems arise with the the little lady who just wants everyone to get along. (The way the crew introduced the arrival of Claire Page into the submarine was absolutely hilarious by the way) Aside of this, the crew members start hearing horror like voices and seeing things they would only see in their nightmares. Little do they know that some of them are keeping a very dirty secret that will eventually take over them whether they like it or not, an unexplainable chain of events takes over the story and glues you to the screen.
I can already tell that I will be getting quite a few e-mails from visitors of this site, flipping out over the fact that I gave this movie a 3/5 star rating. Now I am no way saying this movie will be liked by everyone, I personally believe it was really good for what it promised. If you liked a certain thriller called Session 9, you will most likely enjoy this movie as well because they both focus on the mood rather than on the straight forward scare tactics approach that most horror/thriller movies focus on. By all means, it's not a scary movie, it's not a typical horror flick either, however, it is a creepy thriller that really got the short end of the stick as far it's release goes. See it if you enjoyed Session 9. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 03, 2004 | | Summary | An under-rated film....scary, fast-paced, and fun! | Content
| I really like this film, and would try watching more movies if I thought they'd be as good as this one. I have watched this at least three times, and enjoyed it every time. I think it is the characters (perhaps the actors) that I fiud so enjoyable. The film isn't terribly frightening, but who needs that? This is a ghost movie in the old style, much like the Sixth Sense or The Others. Probably the reason it gets mixed reviews is that people who expect a military action thriller are dissappointed with a ghost story, and people who want a pure ghost story are dissappointed with the military action. I found the combination much to my liking! |
|
