Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Leviathan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 25, 2024

George Cosmatos' "Leviathan" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; archival program with Hector Elizondo; archival program with Ernie Hudson; remastered original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Leviathan is the twin brother of DeepStar Six. Both films came out in 1989 and everyone who worked on them knew from the get-go that they were supposed to compete with The Abyss. Sort of. None of these people actually believed that real competition was possible because The Abyss was too big of a project helmed by too big of a director. Nevertheless, or perhaps because of this realization, Leviathan and DeepStar Six turned out quite well.

The plots of Leviathan and DeepStar Six are fairly similar, too. George Cosmatos worked with a screenplay by David Peoples and Jeb Stuart that again follows a group of deep-sea professionals who have been removed from civilization for months. However, this time what initiates the horror that they are forced to endure is a Russian vessel named Leviathan. After two divers retrieve a safe from Leviathan and open it, a stainless flask with aged vodka unleashes a self-regenerating entity that begins wreaking havoc, prompting everyone to improvise while trying to destroy it. But in addition to using their flesh and blood to regenerate and grow bigger, the entity also steals their intelligence, so destroying it proves to be a very tricky task.

Cosmatos and his team shot the bulk of Leviathan at the legendary Cinecitta Studios in Rome, where many of the greatest Italian films of the post-war era were made. Cosmatos and his team also had invaluable support from the Italian Air Force and the Italian Ministry of Defense. This is important to underscore because while Leviathan was not as well-funded as The Abyss, it was clearly not a small and cheap project.

Interestingly, while time has been very kind to Leviathan and DeepStar Six, making a lot of what used to instantly reveal that they were smaller than The Abyss films look attractive now, they are not equally effective. Indeed, Leviathan is a genuine copycat with limited imagination, so while certain parts of it are attractive, its bag of genre tricks is very limited and predictable. This is most unfortunate because it has a good cast that is not just moving through it but doing a lot of proper work with authentic enthusiasm.

In the old days, after Leviathan and DeepStar Six were released theatrically and especially when they made it to VHS, their fans used to engage in very intense discussions about the perceived superiority of their monsters. Leviathan was the more expensive film, but this writer, who participated in some of the intense discussions, has always maintained that its monster is inferior. In a recent program that was produced for Scream Factory, Ernie Hudson describes it as a large chicken, which is almost true. The monster that emerges in DeepStar Six is much bigger and more intimidating. Also, it is shot a lot better – when only its presence is suggested, when only parts of it are revealed, and when it is seen in all of its glory at the end of the film -- which is why the horror in DeepStar Six is more chilling.

The cast of Leviathan also includes Peter Weller, Richard Crena, Hector Elizondo, Daniel Stern, Michael Carmine, Amanda Pays, Lisa Eilbacher, and Meg Foster.

Cosmatos’ director of photography was Alex Thomson, whose credits include such cult favorites as Fear Is the Key and The Keep, and acclaimed films as Year of the Dragon and Excalibur.

Leviathan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Leviathan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Leviathan that was struck from an interpositive. It is also made available on 4K Blu-ray.

I viewed Leviathan in native 4K but tested various areas of the 1080p presentation on this Blu-ray release. I liked what I saw a lot. On my system, Leviathan had a gorgeous, very convincing organic appearance that was free of age-related imperfections. The only notable discrepancy between the native 4K and 1080p presentations I was able to spot was in the dynamic range of the visuals. In native 4K, some visuals look a little bit better, especially whenever there are various darker nuances. This said, you are still looking at an all-around very convincing 1080p presentation, which I would have been very happy to have as the definitive presentation of Leviathan. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Leviathan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

While viewing the 4K Blu-ray release of Leviathan, I tested the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. The following comments are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release.

I viewed very large sections of the film with the 5.1 track and also tested the 2.0 track. The 5.1 track will almost certainly be the one fans of the film choose because it does alter the dynamic field pretty well. However, there are areas where only the music score creates subtle contrasts that are equally effective on the 2.0 track. Frankly, I like how the action footage sounds on it as well. The dialog is always very clear and easy to follow. However, keep in mind that there are some pretty random technical terms that are being thrown around.

Leviathan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. The commentators cover a wide range of topics, from the conception and production of Leviathan to its relationship with DeepStar Six and The Abyss and the type of particular genre thrills it sets out to deliver. Predictably, there are many comments addressing the work and careers of various people that made Leviathan.

• Surviving Leviathan - in this archival program, Ernie Hudson recalls how he was approached with an offer to do his character in Leviathan, what it was like to travel to Rome and Malta where different parts of the film were shot, what he thought of the monster in the film back in the days and what he thinks of it now, and explains why he still likes the film. The program was produced for Scream Factory in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Dissecting Cobb - in this archival program, Hector Elizondo recalls his interactions with George Cosmatos and different cast members during the shooting of Leviathan at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, some very particular troubles he had with his diving suit, and discusses the evolution of his career and why he never takes himself seriously. The program was produced for Scream Factory in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Leviathan: Monster Melting Pot - in this archival program, special effects specialists Tom Woodruff Jr., Shannon Shea, and Alec Gillis discuss in great detail how the monster that emerged in Leviathan was conceived and created, how it was managed in key sequences, and how other effects were used throughout the film. Also, there are some interesting comments about the bond between Leviathan and DeepStar Six and their big rival, The Abyss. The program was produced for Scream Factory in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (41 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Leviathan. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Leviathan.

Leviathan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you successfully ignore the obvious, which is that Leviathan is a copycat, the trip to the bottom of the ocean and the drama that is part of it can be pretty entertaining. Leviathan is not a bad looking film, either. However, I have always been a bigger fan of its twin brother, DeepStar Six, for several different reasons, too. Kino Lorber's release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Leviathan that is a thing of beauty. It is also one of the most accurate I have seen from the boutique label. This makeover is available on 4K Blu-ray as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.