Below

This film tries to be too many things. It is a ghost story wrapped in a mystery that is hampered with weak characters and vulgar clichés. The crude dialogue is neither witty nor entertaining. Stupid is a more apt description. The fact that the characters are not developed doesn't help the story line. A deus ex ma china device in the form of a ghost is used to resolve the mystery elements of the story. The movie also fails as a ghost story. With the exception of one scene that could have been borrowed from The House on Haunted Hill, the movie fails to induce fear in the audience. More could be said about the series of events where the good become the bad, and the bad become the good but that would invoke a spoiler disclaimer. The final resolution is so hackneyed it's beneath comment but has been used over and over in films and was telegraphed from the moment the guilty party was revealed. In the end, it is a big boo about nothing.

A lot of the negative reviews said things that were too general like 'the story was unbelievable, the acting was bad, it wasn't scary'. They didn't even explain WHY. Well, I'm going to explain why I think this movie is good. Instead of being a special effects horror movie that deals with gore and hidious ghosts and monsters, Below focusses more on the paranoia and delusion the men suffer when the submarine begins to haunt them. There are many tense moments where a character is alone in a room with absolutely no noise, which usually amounts to either nothing, or a big shock. The ghost scenes are great too, SPOILERS with the voice that speaks to Stumbo, and my favorite: the mirror which lags its reflections END OF SPOILER. Many of the strange occurences need no explanation, and they don't have any scientific reasoning to them, and it is these things that drive the men crazy. Nobody is attacked by a ghost or monster, but rather many of the mens' deaths are a result of their own friends' mistakes which themselves are a result of the paranoia. The acting is spot on. Lt. Bryce is portrayed very well as the dynamic character who undergoes a character change as the truth of the strange occurences are slowly revealed. O Dell is the calm and collected hero who keeps the men sane, and Whiskey(or whatever his name is) is the comic relief and at the same time subject to many tense moments. I don't know what the people who hated this movie were expecting, because while these certainly are not oscar quality acting, they are believable and suitable for this kind of movie because the actors effectively portrayed the fear and trauma their characters go through. The direction is good as well. There are a lot of blue and black shades of color in all the scenes that are about 60 percent past the movie, which shows the grimness of the situation when they don't even have power to run the lights. The camera angles don't show a character standing in one corner of the screen and a large portion of the background filling the rest up, which implies that something shocking is going to happen to that background. Instead the angles center themselves on the characters in question and usually are very unpredictable in scenes where something frightening is going to happen. They also give a better sense of claustraphobia with their tight views as opposed to a view that shows a large part of the sub. The story is very intruiging, the largest portion of it devoted to the haunted sub playing mental tricks on them, with intervals of plot development put in between most scenes. The overall conclusion of this film is great. BIG SPOILERS I didn't find the conclusion 'unbelievable', because it made sense as to why the ghost was haunting them. The superior officers betrayed the captain to stop him from rescuing the accidentally attacked civilians, and for that he takes vengeance on them as a ghost when the civilians board the sub.END OF BIG SPOILERS Overall, Below is a good thriller that focusses less on the gore and action, and more on the suspense and paranoia. The acting is good, the direction gives good claustraphobic camera angles and a great sense of fear, and the story is interesting but not unbelievable. I don't believe 'Ghost Ship' is getting more viewership than this. If you havn't seen either film, Below is the better choice unless you are one of those people looking for an ultraviolent pop corn flick chock full of violence.

This was only playing at one cinema in my area (off my usual track) and when I saw it listed in the paper I thought "Wait, how did I miss that?" But it was rated R (always a plus for me; for one thing, an R rating means the F-word gets used at least twice, so it'll have at least that much realism) and I had read somewhere (probably on IMDB) that it was about submarines, so I thought I'd take a crack at it. My venture was well rewarded. Set during World War II, an American submarine rescues 3 people on a liferaft, one of whom turns out to be a woman, news of which galvanizes the sub's crew, who seem to know every female slang term ("Brillo pad" was new to me). The movie pays tribute to the German "Das Boot," the best submarine flick ever, as the camera goes darting from one passageway to another as the crewmen are introduced. Then some odd things start occurring. Helping to win me over was the sheer copiousness of period detail with all the 1940s technology used by the crew to run their boat plus their cigarettes, girlie pin-ups, phonograph records, a Yo-Yo, etc. The actors all rang true except for the young idealistic guy. Lots of great claustrophobic atmosphere; limited but effective use of a certain kind of special effect. One needs to pay attention, such as the mirror scene, where you might think "Is that image duplicating what the guy is doing, or not?" Slow but steady heightening of tension and development of otherwordly aspects. Delightful underwater renditions with plankton & manta rays cavorting. Some drawbacks: too much use of flashbacks, some of which may be "false" (Hitchcock used a false flashback once & always regretted it); too much action occurring off-screen, to where it calls attention to itself. There's a central flashback issue that seems to call for an awful lot of expository dialogue, some of which occurs when one would suppose the characters would be engaged with more pressing matters, such as running out of air. Given how many other recent movies have cost a lot more money, been given much more ballyhoo but have had much weaker plot, characterization and atmosphere, it seems a shame "Below" must rely entirely on word of mouth, or keyboard. I won't claim I was on the "edge of my seat" throughout but I definitely "bought into" the situation. There's a really lovely closing shot, like a shorter & underwater "Koyaanisqatsi," that no one should find overly corny or contrived. Bottom line: if you can't find this one in a cinema or reach it before it goes away, keep an eye out for video. The studio made a mistake just blowing the movie off, it deserves better. In one scene we see a seaman with pet fish in a tank, a nice ironic touch.

Much underrated (although you don't trust me, I spent a few years on the planet, and am very picky). Truly great scary story. So I came back to edit, and it is to say that this story is, rhyme, understated. Film is your bedtime story come to life. Film is an eclectic medium, taking from all the arts except perhaps the tactile, and who knows how long before we will be able to feel the story physically by literally touching it. "Below" is rather poetic, in the sense that it presents a "normal" war story in the context of what war signifies, its meaning and affect on us, yet places the characters in a situation that does not involve war as much as it does the simple unknowns of life. The demon, the ghost here, might very well be the "enemy," in this case the Germans, yet the art is in using this as a metaphor for our process of dealing with felt generalized fear. Of each other, of chaos, of death, of the devil, of God, of candy, slugs, spiders? Up to you. Still, I think, it is always what we think of as our demise, death. But "physical" isn't currently the question. This film has elements of Hitchcock, in that it provides an invitation to look into the mirror that reflects back our emotional life, and asks each of us to make our own decisions. And because of the supernatural/paranormal elements, it touches on what I perceive as something spiritual. Bottom line, it involves us in the character and experiences of the players. War, ghosts, a presence, an intimation, sensitivity, a sense. We do have a problem with death, many of us. This story is about dying in a can, that is, what they tell us about all these things, death, how to do this or that, like live one's life, failed relationships, wanting to do more than you think you are doing, or survival outside, or rather, no matter what your situation, whether you're sinking or floating or on solid earth, you will be asked, at some point, and like the characters in this story, to make a simple "yes" or "no" decision as to how much you appreciate life. It involves that leap of faith that we, some of us, hope to make, amidst a bit of doubt and sadness, and some appreciation of life. Very well filmed, quite well acted, an intriguing and expansive story. It is a bit dark, but that's what leads us to the light. Think about how much you judge. Greg Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (home, btw, of the first nickelodeon theater)

After reading many other reviews of this movie, the consensus seems to be that it's a very well made movie that is lacking in a few areas... specifically the ghost/horror portion. I really don't find this to be a weakness at all. There is no denial that a lot of bad things happened on that boat, and that a lot of it seemed to be tied to some very supernatural elements. However, it was never really 100% confirmed that it was all the doing of a vengeful spirit or spirits. There were several points in the movie where one or two of the more rational characters claimed that they were simply the victims of mechanical problems (an understandable result of a nasty run in with a few dozen depth charges and drag hooks), breathing too much ozone and CO2, stress and large amounts of guilt. In fact, I believe the last line of the movie is the most ambiguous, bringing everything back into question before it fades to black. All that aside, this is a great movie from start to finish. It's highly atmospheric, very well paced, and the acting/directing is impeccable. This one should be in the library of anyone who enjoys a really nicely done suspense/thriller/horror flick.

Below was another one of those films that has been 'abandoned' by the studio that created it. It got very little print advertisement and even less exposure on TV and trailers than most "fluff" horror that usually litters the cinemas. Below has a cast of "I know that guy but I can't remember where I saw him before" types. They all turn in good performances but the lead, Bruce Greenwood, is a bit weak and reminds me of a poor-man's Rod Serling throughout the film. If he had shown a bit more emotion (or enthusiasm) this film may well have ranked among the better thriller/horror movies of the year. The movie concerns a US sub during World War 2, the U.S.S. Tigershark, that is ordered to go pick up some survivors of a torpedoed hospital ship. Upon their arrival, there are only three survivors left. A woman and two men. If you know anything about naval lore, women on submarines is bad luck and upon the taking on of the survivors, strange things start occurring on the sub. This film is directed by David Twohy, the same guy who directed Pitch Black. The directing is quite similar and makes for a fairly effective ghost story. The claustrophobic nature of a submarine works rather well but is largely underused here. The strongest aspect of this film is that when it is over, you can honestly argue that there was an actual ghost or that everything that transpired was only in the minds of the people involved. This is a very impressive feat to be able to effectively pull off in this kind of film. The special effects are subtle and brief but effective at conveying what they are there to convey. There is also an alleged 'twist ending' that will become unfortunately obvious to any fan of the genre within the first twenty minutes. No nudity. No drugs. Very little harsh language. A little bit of on-screen violence. A few charred or bloody corpses are shown to 'enhance the mood' as it were. I believe the film was rated R but it should have been PG. There is very little in this film beyond the subject matter to justify anything stronger than a PG-13. Lots of frights and more than a few 'cheap jolts'. As I write this review, Below is already being phased out of theatres. I would encourage fans of psychological horror to catch this one on the big screen rather than wait for DVD if they want to see it. It's a lot more effective as a 'fright film' in a darkened theatre than it will be on a television screen. If you like psychological horror, then try & catch this one before it leaves the theatres. It is a solid effort, but by no means a classic. It's very much shows the international-influence in the horror genre though (and shows many similarities to The Ring and even moreso to The Devil's Backbone). If you are a casual horror fan, you may still enjoy this one quite a bit. Those that don't like scary movies need not enter. At it's heart, Below is simply a tale of revenge from beyond the grave... or its it?

This underwater ghost story is technically superb, but fairly ludicrous given the austere nature of the performances and setting. It's not subtle enough to be mysterious and it's not outrageous enough to be thrilling. The craftsmenship here is excellent and keeps things watchable, but the picture as a whole is ultimately unsatisfying. Below par for Twohy when compared to his other films, and the DVD is priced too high (as is always the case for Miramax/Dimension films).

I love submarine movies, but normally hate "is-it-or-isn't-it" ghost stories. But David Twohy, one of the best writers and directors working in Hollywood, manages to fuse the two perfectly. On the one hand, this is a really good submarine movie, with all the usual stuff: the claustrophobic tin-can environment; the grimy, nerve-wracked sailors; the underwater cat-and-mouse battles. Next to Das Boot, Below has about the best feel of any movie for that dank, miserable life. The approach is admittedly slicker, more cinematic, where Das Boot is grittier, more akin to documentary. But both films are many fathoms better than the nearest runners up, like Run Silent Run Deep. The characters are well chosen. No one seems uniformly admirable, or whole-heartedly evil. These are people with plenty of faults, but all the more likable for that. There are no 'heroes' in this boat, just a lot of scared people trying to do the 'right' thing. Even when the technical feasibility and the moral 'rightness' of their actions are very difficult to determine. As in Pitch Black, Twohy brings together a splendid cast of over-achieving non-stars, actors who really deserve greater acclaim. Below is also a ghost story. Or maybe it isn't. The submarine definitely IS haunted... but is it haunted only by the conscience of its crewmen, or by 'real' ghosts? Twohy keeps you guessing. If you don't like that sort of tension, you'll certainly find Below hard to take. Personally, I tend to hate it... but here, for once, I found it strangely compelling: maybe because I felt that Twohy was with me all the way, not simply taunting me, but himself embracing that same uncertainty. Below probably drew a fair bit of criticism by frustrating movie-goers' expectations. It's not Friday the 13th underwater; nor Saving Private Ryan underwater; nor even Pitch Black underwater. While the advance billing may have suggested otherwise, Below is a far more delicate and subtle film than any of those. It's a genre-buster for sure, but if you give it a chance, it actually does work on every level: as adventure, as whodunit, as war story, and as ghost story. And in the end (not really a spoiler), it achieves something quite remarkable: it leaves the natural-vs-supernatural question *perfectly* ambiguous, balanced on the same knife's-edge as it was at the start. And thereby suggests that maybe a ghost that's 'real' in your mind is plenty 'real' enough.

There are a lot of WO II movies coming out in Europe every year, american block busters but also european movies with smaller budgets. Some I like (american and european), some are average and some are really really really awful. 'Below' can be put in the last category, my god, this movie really sucked! Never, not even a split second, did I have the idea that I was actually watching a WO II story. It's probably a bad script, because the words they are saying are by far not the words known during WO II. Add the poor acting, boring and unsurprisingly "pinch" and you simply have a bad movie! What a waste of my money... Thank god that as in America as in Europa most WO II movies are far better then this one! Let's keep it that way!

I've never understood the cross genre concept of mixing a horror movie into a war film . I did like THE KEEP mainly due to the art house flourishes ( One of the things people detested about Michael Mann's adaptation ) but have so far missed out on seeing THE BUNKER and DEATHWATCH . I guess the appeal to film makers is that it's easy to kick start a story of having a bunch of soldiers turn up at a deserted locale where they find a demonic force trying to kill them one by one which isn't a million miles away from the plot of say PREDATOR or DOG SOLDIERS . But when you stop to consider the horrors of war do we need supernatural elements to horrify an audience ? BELOW is somewhat different from the films mentioned above because it does somewhat lack a sense of time and space . The American submarine where the story is set could easily have been set on a spaceship in the future and to be honest the movie does feel very similar to EVENT HORIZON . There's little gore involved from director David Twohey which is a both a good and bad thing since he doesn't use the gimmick of explict violence to shock the audience but makes the film a bit too talky for its own good BELOW can probably be summed up in thus - If you liked EVENT HORIZON you will like BELOW . If you thought DAS BOOT was terrifying without any supernatural elements you probably won't like BELOW