MGM/UA
Home Video | Review by Dan Taylor
Hey,
don't get me wrong. I like a good rip-off
as much as the next guy... I love PIRANHA.
FORBIDDEN WORLD is a god-like rip-off of
ALIEN. PIECES is the best SAW rip-off ever.
Those Italians cranked out some mean DAWN
OF THE DEAD steals.
Sadly enough, LEVIATHAN is
nowhere near the level of the films it tries
so desperately to mimmick.
If you've seen ALIEN, its
lead-butt overrated sequel, THE KINDRED,
JAWS or Carpenter's THE THING, you've seen
everything in LEVIATHAN...done better.
Directed by George Pan Cosmatos,
the flick tells the tale of the Trans Oceanic
Mining Corporation, a slightly futuristic
operation performing silver and mineral
extraction on the ocean floor 16,000 feet
below the surafce. After stumbling upon
a sunken Russian ship (the origin of the
film's title), crew members begin showing
signs of a bizarre disease and start kicking
the bucket. Hmmm... an isolated group of
people beset by a slimy monster while their
corporation abandons them? Wow, that sounds
pretty original.
Despite its slime creature
and some gruesome effects, LEVIATHAN is
a shameful mess that is far less entertaining
than this year's first underwater effort,
DEEP- STAR
SIX. While that film certainly wasn't
anything to write home about, at least it
seemed to be having fun with the subject
matter. LEVIATHAN, on the other hand, is
hampered by a leaden sense of seriousness
and a story that takes FOREVER to get started.
The blame for my dislike of
this film lies on several shoulders, including
Cosmatos' and the dull screenplay from David
Peoples and Jeb Stuart (surprising since
Stuart shared writing chores on the non-stop
DIE HARD). However, my hatred can be directed
mostly at Peter Weller, a man with the acting
ability of belly- button lint. No, I'm sorry.
That's an insult to belly-button lint...it
surely has more range than this wooden boob.
This is depressing since the flick wastes
the inimitable Daniel Stern and Amanda Pays
gives a credible performance as a total
babe.
Sorry folks, but there's nothing
to recommend about this one.
