Blu-ray Review – Lords of the Deep

1989 was an incredible year for filmgoing, but it was also a strange year for releases. Suddenly, various producers and studios wanted to participate in a type of gold rush, with tales of horror and mystery involving an underwater setting all the rage. This wasn't a usual situation of competing productions (e.g. an "Antz" vs. "A Bug's Life" showdown), but a semi-quarterly event for movie theaters and video stores. The big one was James Cameron's masterful "The Abyss," which had a major budget and full studio support, gunning to be one of the major triumphs of a highly competitive summer. However, other efforts emerged, trying to capture the same audience, with "Deep Star Six," "Leviathan," and "The Evil Below" all attempting to bring the dangers of deep water to viewers perhaps slightly confused as to why there was suddenly a stampede of aquatic endeavors demanding their attention. Never one to leave a dime behind, producer Roger Corman wanted in on the trend, offering "Lords of the Deep" to the masses. Corman being Corman, little money has been spent on the feature, which boasts the talents of people involved with "Aliens" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" to deliver special effects, coming up with a small-scale understanding of an alien visitation, mixed with a little corporate menace. "Lords of the Deep" is very silly, but director Mary Ann Fisher (this being her sole helming credit) at least tries to do something with what little she has to work with, trying to summon suspense with minor moments of alarm, gradually building to a sci-fi payoff that's hilariously short on epic qualities. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com