It seems to me so many reviewers on the IMDb often use this forum as a means of getting rid of their personal angst or anger. Or maybe they're just harder on movies than I am. Maybe I'm easier to please. Either way, it's hard for me to understand how anyone could go into this movie voluntarily and then be disappointed by the outcome.
Let's start with the premise. It's a submarine story that takes place during WWII, and it's listed in the horror, suspense genre. It's a haunted submarine. What does that tell you? It tells me that this is going to be no ordinary war story. In fact, there's a damn good chance it's going to be an extra-ordinary war story, with maybe some supernatural elements. I don't know about you, but when I see a dust jacket with a blurb about submarines and haunting, the first thing that comes to my mind is . . . weird.
Now, if you go into a theater and buy a ticket for a WWII submarine story with a supernatural component, and you expect Saving Private Ryan or Mutiny on the Bounty, you are most definitely going to be disappointed.
In fact, to this reviewer, Below is very much a classic story, not a classic war story, but a classic story in the vein of the TV series Twilight Zone. That's not a spoiler, it's just a note of caution to people who don't particularly like these types of stories. In other words, the film makers are playing with you, they're trying to deceive you.
I enjoyed this movie. I like sea stories. I like submarines. I like stories of the supernatural. (Actually, Below is only somewhat supernatural. If you think about it, the movie is an allegory. It's really about conscience and morality.) As I said, for me, the story is a blend of all the things I like to see in a movie. It has a good look, too, claustrophobic, urgent, and mysterious, just what you would expect from Twohy. Enjoy the ride, and don't try to think to far ahead.
Let's start with the premise. It's a submarine story that takes place during WWII, and it's listed in the horror, suspense genre. It's a haunted submarine. What does that tell you? It tells me that this is going to be no ordinary war story. In fact, there's a damn good chance it's going to be an extra-ordinary war story, with maybe some supernatural elements. I don't know about you, but when I see a dust jacket with a blurb about submarines and haunting, the first thing that comes to my mind is . . . weird.
Now, if you go into a theater and buy a ticket for a WWII submarine story with a supernatural component, and you expect Saving Private Ryan or Mutiny on the Bounty, you are most definitely going to be disappointed.
In fact, to this reviewer, Below is very much a classic story, not a classic war story, but a classic story in the vein of the TV series Twilight Zone. That's not a spoiler, it's just a note of caution to people who don't particularly like these types of stories. In other words, the film makers are playing with you, they're trying to deceive you.
I enjoyed this movie. I like sea stories. I like submarines. I like stories of the supernatural. (Actually, Below is only somewhat supernatural. If you think about it, the movie is an allegory. It's really about conscience and morality.) As I said, for me, the story is a blend of all the things I like to see in a movie. It has a good look, too, claustrophobic, urgent, and mysterious, just what you would expect from Twohy. Enjoy the ride, and don't try to think to far ahead.