On one hand, SyFy is hardly known for high quality TV movies, and while I'm generally all for casts emphasizing women, here it feels like a contrivance. On the other hand, the premise caught my eye enough to warrant a view, and I greatly enjoyed filmmaker Sheldon Wilson's previous outing for the network, 'Neverknock.' I feel like I entered 'Dead in the water' with as much of an open mind as I could. At length I don't think this is anything near an essential watch, but it's decent enough to be a small bit of fun.
This movie is in no rush to go places. A fair portion of the length progresses without major eventfulness, but rather an accumulation of incidences to cement the urgency of the scenario, build tension, and lay the groundwork for the remainder. It's not until around the halfway mark that we first get a glimpse of something especially extraordinary, and even after that the picture measures out plot development, becoming a story more of desperation on the high seas than an abject sci-fi horror flick. For what it's worth I think the production design is solid, and the cast - the setting for the story, and the actors brought "on board" to help tell it, are excellent in my opinion; I wouldn't mind seeing these players in other films. If not the absolute best example in the industry, I think the creature effects and other post-production visuals are pretty good, not least for being digital creations.
Wilson is a capable director, I believe, and a capable writer. There are a lot of swell ideas in 'Dead in the water,' and while the pace languishes, the bones of the narrative are sturdy. It sadly falls short of perfect, though. Again, I do like the cast, but filling the fictional ship's crew with women feels more like a Movie Logic gimmick than an earnest point of interest, not least as there's no particular import in the plot to the fact that they are all women. The various elements of the story assembled together here are suitable despite being familiar and broadly unremarkable, yet also aren't shaped into a form that helps the feature to readily stand out. Good, duly engaging, baseline satisfying - but there's also no specific reason why it should earn your attention.
I think what it comes down to is that, true or not, the best sci-fi horror value feels like it's been toned down and softened for the television production. It's not as charged, bloody, hard-hitting, or visceral as it could have been; the proverbial colors are muted. All the appropriate pieces are in place for a fun genre romp except for strong thrills. That in itself may be enough to scuttle this film in the eyes of many viewers, let alone its other shortcomings. I do rather wonder if I'm not being too kind in my assessment as it is. Nonetheless, while it doesn't meet its full potential, I enjoyed this more than not, and I'm glad I checked it out. There are other movies that are more important to watch first - but if you happen to come across 'Dead in the water,' it's a modestly entertaining way to spend 90 minutes.
This movie is in no rush to go places. A fair portion of the length progresses without major eventfulness, but rather an accumulation of incidences to cement the urgency of the scenario, build tension, and lay the groundwork for the remainder. It's not until around the halfway mark that we first get a glimpse of something especially extraordinary, and even after that the picture measures out plot development, becoming a story more of desperation on the high seas than an abject sci-fi horror flick. For what it's worth I think the production design is solid, and the cast - the setting for the story, and the actors brought "on board" to help tell it, are excellent in my opinion; I wouldn't mind seeing these players in other films. If not the absolute best example in the industry, I think the creature effects and other post-production visuals are pretty good, not least for being digital creations.
Wilson is a capable director, I believe, and a capable writer. There are a lot of swell ideas in 'Dead in the water,' and while the pace languishes, the bones of the narrative are sturdy. It sadly falls short of perfect, though. Again, I do like the cast, but filling the fictional ship's crew with women feels more like a Movie Logic gimmick than an earnest point of interest, not least as there's no particular import in the plot to the fact that they are all women. The various elements of the story assembled together here are suitable despite being familiar and broadly unremarkable, yet also aren't shaped into a form that helps the feature to readily stand out. Good, duly engaging, baseline satisfying - but there's also no specific reason why it should earn your attention.
I think what it comes down to is that, true or not, the best sci-fi horror value feels like it's been toned down and softened for the television production. It's not as charged, bloody, hard-hitting, or visceral as it could have been; the proverbial colors are muted. All the appropriate pieces are in place for a fun genre romp except for strong thrills. That in itself may be enough to scuttle this film in the eyes of many viewers, let alone its other shortcomings. I do rather wonder if I'm not being too kind in my assessment as it is. Nonetheless, while it doesn't meet its full potential, I enjoyed this more than not, and I'm glad I checked it out. There are other movies that are more important to watch first - but if you happen to come across 'Dead in the water,' it's a modestly entertaining way to spend 90 minutes.