DEEPSTAR SIX

A pretty standard B-movie SF horror where the characters get killed one by one and only the happy couple we met in the first scene survives. Not a spoiler because you could guess that from the start if you know anything about stories. That said, I enjoyed it as the acting was good, the characters were a varied bunch and the monster was kept mysterious until near the end. The thrills kept coming. A good one to watch on Friday night with beer and popcorn.

Mixes elements of "Alien," "The Abyss" and Star Trek, but not as good

Due to the hype of James Cameron's blockbuster "The Abyss" in 1989, there was a glut of underwater sci-fi/horror thrillers, all lesser productions (not that "The Abyss" was a great movie, just that it was a top level production).

"Deepstar Six" is essentially an underwater version of "Alien" and Star Trek, but not as good. The story revolves around A crew of underwater workers/scientists who accidentally breach a cavern and disturb the creature living there. Havoc ensues. The film was directed by Sean S. Cunningham, known for 1980's "Friday the 13th" and 1983's "Spring Break." "Deepstar Six" is essentially Friday the 13th underwater, but with adults and therefore more sophistication.

Although this is a Grade B production in comparison to the Grade A "The Abyss," it's not bad at all as far as actors, sets and F/X go. In other words, the sets are convincing, the no-name actors do a quality job and the special effects are effective. The monster is pretty good, it just lacks the iconic stature of the creatures in "Alien" and "Aliens."

Whereas the actors are skilled, the character development is lacking and, as such, they're relatively uninteresting people and therefore largely fail to apprehend the viewer's sympathy. Don't get me wrong, there's only one whiny loser in the bunch, but the rest of 'em come off too bland. Nia Peeples is the best, but probably only because she's such a petite beauty, who's inexplicably removed prematurely; stupid! Still, there's just barely enough of her.

The first half is relatively ho-hum as the characters are introduced and the underwater setting is established, but the second half won me over to some degree. There's a great scene of someone dying because he or she failed to properly decompress; and the ending, although clichéd, is effective. So, overall it's pretty mediocre, but just good enough to check out.

It runs 1 hour, 45 minutes.

GRADE: B-