Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Deep Rising Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 7, 2018

1998’s “Deep Rising” didn’t have an easy time finding an audience during its initial theatrical release. It came out a year after “The Relic” (which delivered a similar monster-in-a-contained-area premise), a month after “Titanic” (which satiated audiences hungry to see a massive ship endure a slow destruction), and two weeks after “Hard Rain” (which also enjoyed some Jet Ski action in tight hallways). The planets didn’t align for writer/director Stephen Sommers, but this noisy ode to B-movies of the past eventually found something of a following on home video and basic cable, and it’s not hard to see why, with the helmer arranging plenty of mayhem, quips, and gore to delight those in the mood for something violent but cheeky. Though the true comedic value of “Deep Rising” is up for debate.

In the South China Sea, the Argonautica, a luxury cruise ship, is enjoying its maiden voyage, with owner Simon (Anthony Heald) welcoming the rich and powerful to a major party in the middle of the ocean. Racing to the ship is John (Treat Williams), a captain-for-hire who’s unsure about the pack of mercenaries he’s working with, led by Hanover (Wes Studi), who are planning something nefarious for the Argonautica, unsettling crew member Joey (Kevin J. O’Connor). Approaching the ship, it becomes clear the mercenaries are intending to rob the passengers and blow up the Argonautica, putting John in a difficult position of compliance without proper weaponry. However, the mission is disrupted by the arrival of a tentacled creature from the depths of ocean, and one that feeds on humans, using its pliable body and sea-based instinct to find victims, devouring everything it can find. Joined by pickpocket Trillian (Famke Janssen), John and Joey search for a way off the ship, trying to return to their damaged boat and get away from an unstoppable creature.

Sommers is best known as the director of 1999’s “The Mummy” and its 2001 sequel, but “Deep Rising” was really his first foray into CGI-laden adventuring, working to find a balance between live-action happenings and computer augmentation. Sommers isn’t a refined filmmaker and it shows here, striving to make a swiftly paced classic monster movie with modern tools, hoping to update formula devoured by audiences in the 1950s for the 1990s, and he almost pulls it off. There’s simplicity with characterization, finding John a cynical lead, trying to keep himself alive with a loose moral core, while comic relief is provided by Joey, his spineless mechanic. The mercenaries are tough guys with big guns and larger attitudes, spreading manliness wherever they are, making it tough for John to have an opinion. Trillian is a trickster dressed up as a femme fatale, also trying to steal everything the ship holds in its vault. And Simon is the sniveling villain of the picture, showing little patience for those interfering with his own plans for the ship.

“Deep Rising” is a cartoon, but at least it’s an R-rated one, with Sommers slopping on the blood and slime to give the monster some level of menace. The CGI is incredibly crude, but it’s ambitious, trying to bring hellraising into the digital age with a slippery, agile creature who doesn’t make a screen appearance for 55 minutes, but the production tends to fill in the blanks thanks to an active sound design and a driving score by Jerry Goldsmith. Sommers likes to keep spirits up despite gruesome events that fill the picture, but “Deep Rising” is strongest when it’s not trying to be humorous, finding O’Connor brutal as the sidekick, never giving the movie a decent wisecrack. He’s the bottom of the barrel in terms of entertainment value, and mercifully, he’s often drowned out by violence, with Sommers turning to deafening distractions as the ship falls apart to give his picture marketplace heft, cramming in as much of a chase as the tight corners of the setting allows.

Deep Rising Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber does what it can to get "Deep Rising" up to par on Blu-ray, offering an AVC encoded image (2.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation. It's certainly a darker viewing event, with delineation inching toward solidification. Detail overall is acceptable, though softness remains, throttling the freshness of facial surfaces and steeliness of ship interiors. Clothing is adequate, mixing ornamented evening wear with more militaristic outfits. Gore zones are preserved, retaining their goopy, bloody appearance. Colors are satisfactory but not as vivid as expected, with some muted mid-tones, leaving only broad hues to make a sizable impression, with red dresses and bloodshed a highlight. Grain is passably filmic. Source is in good shape, showing no wear and tear.

Deep Rising Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix arrives with a typical Sommers noise-a-thon, giving the track plenty to work with. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and true, untangling overlapping dialog and maintaining position while screamed reactions aren't problematic, avoiding shrillness. Scoring is confident, with Goldsmith's work emerging through ideal instrumentation, finding percussive rhythm adding to suspense needs. Sound effects are chaotic but not messy, identifying gun play and bending metal, while monster roars are appropriately growly. Low-end is strong, providing weight to explosions and crashes. Surrounds are active, pushing out scoring contributions and adding periodic movement to monster advancement.

Deep Rising Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay.

• Interview (8:21, HD) with Wes Studi details a cold, wet shoot for the actor, who shares his trouble dealing with tank swimming, at one point finding exposed glass at the bottom of a set instead of the camera. He explains his limited need for character work, and reflects on his co-stars, teaching Kevin J. O'Connor how to play "Brown-Eyed Girl" on guitar between set-ups. Studi also discusses his specialized weapon and the physical stress of working with a CGI monster.

• Interview (14:15, HD) with Kevin J. O'Connor examines his relationship with Sommers, describing him as a helmer with boundless energy, trying to make the shoot as entertaining as possible, also encouraging the actor to bring his own quirks to the part. O'Connor talks about the importance of getting personal business done before wading into the submerged set, and dealing with visual effects, sharing an anecdote about his time on "The Mummy," reacting to a sandstorm that wasn't there.

• Interview (13:14, HD) with Anthony Heald reveals his last-minute casting for "Deep Rising," jumping into the production, with his bloodiest moment making up his first day at work. Process is examined, with a literal chart used to keep Heald aware of character distress. The actor reveals he picked up a staph infection during the shoot, unable to be hospitalized, requiring injections to maintain health, which forced him to sacrifice bonding time with the cast. Heald also covers the happy but arduous shoot, his approach to playing an interesting villain, and his disappointment with the film's disastrous box office performance.

• Interview (11:46, HD) with second unit director Dean Cundey covers why he took the job, fulfilling a longstanding friendship with co-producer Barry Bernardi, who was a production assistant on the original "Halloween." Cundey shares the particulars of his work and his use of old tricks, with ideas from "The Thing" finding their way into "Deep Rising." A discussion of working with water is included, and Cundey seems generally happy that the feature is making its way to Blu-ray, allowing strong technical work to be celebrated.

• Interview (14:03) with cinematographer Howard Atherton charts his involvement with the production, challenging the producers and their ambitious plans to shoot on water. Atherton describes different shots and crazy ideas, and briefly mentions his work on Michael Bay's "Bad Boys," which he dryly describes as "an experience." Oh, the stories this man must have about that movie.

• "The Visual Effects of 'Deep Rising'" (16:48, HD) offers insight from Banned from the Ranch's Van Ling and Industrial Light and Magic's John Berton, who discuss the state of the industry in 1997, with technical limitations surpassed by newfound computing power and tricks, permitting a B-movie like "Deep Rising" to have advanced CGI. The men discuss the challenge of matching work split among four visual effects companies, and spotlight a few of the tricks pulled off in the film, including the final shot of a jungle, which was actually shot in Malibu. Emphasized here is the group effort, with so many people working to pull off individual shots.

• "The Practical Effects of 'Deep Rising'" (9:23, HD) features FX artists Doug Morrow and Brad Proctor, who highlight special achievements found in "Deep Rising," including the creation of bloody skeletons, dummy bodies for crushing, and the perfection of a victim who's been partially digested by the monster. Industry fears of the day are also inspected, with CGI taking over where practical effects once dominated.

• ILM (SD) is broken up into "Animatic Final Sequence" (7:43), "Creature 1" (18:59, SD), "Creature 2" (3:45), "DR Tests" (2:04), "DR16 Breakdown" (2:24), and "Mason" (3:28).

• Still Gallery (2:30) offers publicity photos and some BTS snaps.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:25, SD) is included.

Deep Rising Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Deep Rising" has a large fan base, and it's easy to see why. Sommers has a particular way of merging mindlessness with cacophony, and the setting certainly provides some thrills, including scenes of characters trying to escape the monster's wrath as it crushes ship walls like an aluminum can, and there's John and Trillian eventually boarding the aforementioned Jet Ski to speed up their exit, zooming around halls. "Deep Rising" has its pleasures, most arriving when it's not trying to be wacky. Take it as throwback entertainment in a post-"Jurassic Park" era, and there's something there, and it's easily the best thing to emerge from Sommers, forcing him to manage his addiction to havoc in a confined setting.