Below is a film of two halves. On the one hand, it's a very well directed movie, with some brilliant horror sequences, camera angles and a claustrophobic atmosphere that will make many horror fans foam at the mouth. However, on the other hand it's just another lame ghost story that unfortunately lacks both the invention and the intrigue that it needs to make it a complete horror package. The story is predictable, and basically follows the same path that a hundred ghost stories before it have followed - i.e. man is killed and comes back to haunt those who wronged him. There is an element of originality in the way that the film climaxes ambiguously, but the originality is strewn from it due to the fact that these sorts of twists have become very predictable of late. Cheers, M Night Shyamalan.
The story takes place on a World War Two submarine. After finding survivors from another, less fortunate ship, the captain of our ship decides to let them board. We begin a voyage of discovery as certain events transpire and the crew begin to believe that their submarine is haunted. This is a film that needs to be followed in order to fully understand the story, and so people that are tired or just fancy seeing something easy should find something else to watch. The fact that the story is rather difficult to follow hampers the film in the end, however, as when we discover the mystery behind what's been going on, it's a disappointment to say the least. Below also suffers from a rather turgid script, which is riddled with clichés and dull one-liners to deliver the action. The characters are neither believable nor interesting, which doesn't do the film any favours either. It's saving grace is, as mentioned, the directing. David Twohy directs out attention through numerous angles, all of which help to instill the idea that we're on a submarine in the viewer's mind. The special effects are somewhat hokey, but numerous scenes impress; most notably the part where our hero's find themselves in the middle of a bunch of Manta Rays.
If you're a film fan that likes your ghost films to have an interesting story, try The Devil's Backbone instead. If you like technical prowess, you could do a lot worse.
The story takes place on a World War Two submarine. After finding survivors from another, less fortunate ship, the captain of our ship decides to let them board. We begin a voyage of discovery as certain events transpire and the crew begin to believe that their submarine is haunted. This is a film that needs to be followed in order to fully understand the story, and so people that are tired or just fancy seeing something easy should find something else to watch. The fact that the story is rather difficult to follow hampers the film in the end, however, as when we discover the mystery behind what's been going on, it's a disappointment to say the least. Below also suffers from a rather turgid script, which is riddled with clichés and dull one-liners to deliver the action. The characters are neither believable nor interesting, which doesn't do the film any favours either. It's saving grace is, as mentioned, the directing. David Twohy directs out attention through numerous angles, all of which help to instill the idea that we're on a submarine in the viewer's mind. The special effects are somewhat hokey, but numerous scenes impress; most notably the part where our hero's find themselves in the middle of a bunch of Manta Rays.
If you're a film fan that likes your ghost films to have an interesting story, try The Devil's Backbone instead. If you like technical prowess, you could do a lot worse.