Below (2002) User Reviews

b-picture finesse

[raouldobal · 7/10 · 14 March 2003]

If you have seen your share of genre-movies, there will in this movie rarely be an idea that you have not seen, a cut that has not been there already or a character that is completely new - but it´s the mix that counts and this mix came out very right.

If you are on the edge of your seat, you know what is going to happen but nothing has been shown in the first half of the movie and the suspense just keeps on building, I for one know that I am going to enjoy it to the last second.

Oh, and another thing - although there is only 1 woman in the movie, she is neither token, nor does she fall in love or is killed in the classic shower scene, but she actually is given a role to play - bravo. The only little thorn I can think of is, that I could have done without the very few gory (or at least bloodyish) scenes - was not really necessary. A silouette and some shocked expressions do suffice. Go and watch - not a cheap thrill, a good one.

Something is just not right on this submarine.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 14 September 2003]

Sci-Fi escape drama that will have you on the edge of your seat and cracking your knuckles. When a WWII submarine picks up three survivors of an incident in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1943, the crew suddenly experiences mysterious doings in the confined space. It appears this boat is doomed from the start. Typical problems for a submarine movie. Pretty good acting from a diverse cast that includes: Bruce Greenwood, Matt Davis, Olivia Williams, Scott Foley and Holt McCallany. Decent enough F/X and sometimes scary story line holds your interest.

All in all a worth a watch

[apobedinskas · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

Its's a bit weird that after all these years the overall rating is 6.1. I am no movie critic but I have watched this movie in my younger years and just did it again. And I can tell that nothing is fundamentally is wrong with it :/ . Acting is OK, story is enticing, effects are decent and soundtrack is befitting the vibe of the movie. Story is quite good too. I have watched every horror movie rated above 7 except black and white oldies and I rate it 6.5 easily.

Surprisingly suspenseful and atmospheric supernatural WW2 thriller.

[Infofreak · 14 October 2003]

I enjoyed 'Below' a LOT more than I anticipated. It's a very similar movie in theme to the disappointing 'The Bunker', apart from the obvious difference of being set on a submarine of course. But unlike 'The Bunker' this movie has interesting characters that a)you can tell apart, and b) actually care about their fate. The script, direction and acting are all superior, and it's very effective in conveying the tense atmosphere of a sub in WW2, despite not being made on a mega-budget. I like David Twohy's debut 'Pitch Black', and I like 'Below' even more. It's not only a very well made suspense movie, but also a good war one. I hope Twohy fulfills his promise in projects to come.

A semi-predictable but decent flick

[Sabalon · 6/10 · 13 June 2008]

I don't recall this one being released, but it didn't do very well. However it had a very tidy story, some more or less decent acting, and was a visual treat.

The story seems pretty simple - WWII sub picks up a couple survivor, is pursed by a German ship, and then strange things start to happen and some secrets about various crew members are slowly revealed.

This is more of a thriller than a horror movie. While it does contain some jump scenes in it and some spooky goings on, one is left with a feeling of "was it just cabin fever?" As said, visually, this movie looked nice. It somewhat captured the cramped life on a sub and the tense moments they go through. However, some liberties were taken on the set design to provide more room. The class of sub they are on are not nearly as comfy as this would make one think.

Bruce Greenwood gives what I though was a very good performance. The movie can even stand up to a little bit of rewatch as well.

Sinister and creepy.

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 30 September 2022]

Set in 1943, a submarine - The USS Tiger Shark - rescues three survivors from a boat after a torpedo attack. Soon after the rescue, things start going wrong.

'Below' is confined to a submarine, and it is sinister and creepy. When it becomes clear there is evil on board, it allows for great character development, and tension. The casting was perfect and the actors delivers great performances. Olivia Williams in particular was very good as the only female character, Claire. Despite being the only woman on board, Claire remained a strong, wilful character.

'Below' is a horror film that also serves as a mystery thriller and a disaster movie. Set inside the submarine, it was claustrophobic, but effective, with no way to escape. There's also a well set-up twist towards the end.

Good movie

[codyjamesmiller · 7/10 · 11 March 2021]

Was funny to Zack galifinakis in this... good ole thriller flick from the 00s

Surprisingly well done and effective.

[filipemanuelneto · 7/10 · 4 July 2020]

One of the biggest problems of horror genre is that we have seen virtually everything, being very difficult to come up with something truly different or original. This film starts from a common base - the ordinary film of ghosts and hauntings - for something that had not yet been seen: a haunted submarine.

Without major introductions, the script put us into an American submarine in the middle of World War II. Minutes later, we watch what looks like the first attack by a German destroyer and the level of tension and suspense goes off with each depth charge. From there, the script maneuvers elegantly, creating a very good story where, in addition to the presence of an apparent haunt or curse, we observe a divided crew, with fringe nerves, always looking over their shoulder. Of course, on a claustrophobic ship, where everyone knows all about each other and everyone's life's are dependent on teamwork and respect for the chain of command, things are heading quickly for disaster.

The strongest point of this film is the excellent script, that combines the threat of war and death, the traditional Navy superstitions, the evidence of a curse or supernatural presence and the disunity of a disturbed and very nervous crew. The film takes advantage of all these elements and creates ambiguous situations, in which everything can be due both to a ghost and to human and logical causes. The film has several effective twists and turns and is never too obvious.

The cast has several little-known names. Bruce Greenwood and Matthew Davis were the only ones I knew of other works, namely the new "Star Trek" movies (Greenwood) and the TV series "The Vampire Diaries"/"The Originals", where Davis got his acclaim. However, despite being actors that I didn't know for the most part, they did a very good job. I particularly liked the performance of Greenwood, Davis and the British actress Olivia Williams, in the role of a nurse they rescue from the sea after their hospital ship was torpedoed. The good construction of the characters helped a lot.

Technically, it is a film where the sets stand out for their quality. In fact, the interior of that submarine was thought out in the smallest detail and it looks as real and tiny as it could be. Cinematography was well done, with cameras filming in such a way that the space seems even more tight and suffocating. CGI is also very present and has its merit, helping in the most supernatural scenes.

War thriller - 10/10. Horror - 0/10. Average: 5/10. The dumbest most unuseful and unnecessary use of a ghost in the history of cinema...

[nitzanhavoc · 5/10 · 18 October 2012]

Well, to be honest, I was going to qualify this film as a combination of U-571 and Ghost Ship. Then I saw the cover picture bearing a review stating "U-571 meets Poltergeist" and realized that wouldn't be too original...

It's WWII, and the US Sub is lively and excited due to 3 survivors picked up for a shipwreck, one of whom is a female British doctor. Some of the crew is thrilled and edgy about seeing a woman for the first time in weeks, maybe months. Others are aware of sea folklore and believe a woman on a boat is bad luck.

The story was absolutely brilliant in my opinion, the thrill and suspense were of the highest level, and the twist was surprising and well presented. The acting was persuasive and honest, and during the entire film I found myself at the edge of my seat, fearing for the lives of the Sub's crew as mechanical problems stacked up.

And then they had to destroy what might have been a great film by forcibly, bluntly and stupidly shoving a ghost into it. I mean... why? Honestly, why? In order for DVD libraries to be able to tag this film as horror? What was so important about that?! This could have been an excellent war/psychological thriller film, with an excellent story, a surprising twist, and good acting. Adding the whole ghost part was like taking that kids' puzzle with the shapes, putting the square peg in the triangle hole, and hammering it till the entire thing broke. That simply ruined the film for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

In summary - an excellent war thriller. Forcing it into the horror genre ruined it. I'd still recommend it, if you could be forgiving. I wouldn't blame you if you weren't.

Surprisingly engaging haunted submarine thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 8 November 2015]

I found BELOW to be an engaging if predictable haunted submarine thriller director by the Australian David Twohy, who was also responsible for the similarly good PITCH BLACK. Both films share stylistic similarities (a trapped cast at the mercy of an unknown killer enemy) but in the end PITCH BLACK has the edge, thanks to the originality and scope of the far-reaching plot. BELOW is more mundane, but not without merit, and it works best as a mood piece rather than a thriller.

The star of the show is Olivia Williams (MISS AUSTEN REGRETS), who along with Dexter Fletcher narrowly escapes the torpedoing of their hospital ship during WWII. They take refuge on a US submarine piloted by all manner of familiar and welcome faces (Bruce Greenwood, Nick Chinlund, Jason Flemyng, to name but a few). Pretty soon, weird things start happening (stuff turns on of its own accord and the crew are surrounded by weird apparitions and noises) and then people start dying. It's the kind of stuff we've seen a million times from Hollywood, but straight away the submarine setting had me hooked: I always enjoy the natural claustrophobia that's evoked in these kinds of settings, and it's no exception here. It would be hard to make a film that WASN'T atmospheric and suspenseful on board a submarine.

The quality of the script is pretty good, and for a change the acting matches the written dialogue. At least most characters are fleshed out, rather than being one dimensional stereotypes. The film is augmented by some effective CGI work and despite some plot inconsistencies I had a ball with it.

Did you see that ? ... No, I didn't see anything !

[knoate · 5/10 · 10 December 2003]

This movie didn't scare me at all. Darkness and haunted sounds didn't work for me. It's a good idea to make horror film about ghost in the submarine but they have to do better than this. The plot is interesting and I want to know why the TIGER SHARK must go back but in fact there's nothing in it. I like PITCH BLACK more.

You can keep your lame big budget action flicks. I want to see more like this one.

[lingh0e · 8/10 · 18 November 2006]

After reading many other reviews of this movie, the consensus seems to be that it's a very well made movie that is lacking in a few areas... specifically the ghost/horror portion. I really don't find this to be a weakness at all. There is no denial that a lot of bad things happened on that boat, and that a lot of it seemed to be tied to some very supernatural elements. However, it was never really 100% confirmed that it was all the doing of a vengeful spirit or spirits. There were several points in the movie where one or two of the more rational characters claimed that they were simply the victims of mechanical problems (an understandable result of a nasty run in with a few dozen depth charges and drag hooks), breathing too much ozone and CO2, stress and large amounts of guilt. In fact, I believe the last line of the movie is the most ambiguous, bringing everything back into question before it fades to black.

All that aside, this is a great movie from start to finish. It's highly atmospheric, very well paced, and the acting/directing is impeccable. This one should be in the library of anyone who enjoys a really nicely done suspense/thriller/horror flick.

Eerie as well as intelligent Terror movie in which a frightened crew is trapped into narrow corridors and constricted spaces

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 5 January 2015]

Thrilling film about mysterious events happen into a submarine and carried out by a supernatural force ; being compellingly directed by nice filmmaker David Twohy . This fantastic movie packs thrills , chills , violence , horror , suspense with creepy and ghastly underwater scenarios . As six hundred feet beneath the surface terror runs deep . The submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark commanded by officer Brice (Bruce Greenwood) along with crew (Dexter Fletcher ,Nick Chinlund , Scott Foley , Jason Flemyng ,Christopher Fairbank , Sebastian Knapp..) prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission , as they save a little group from a shipwreck , among them appears a woman (Olivia Williams) . But then strange happenings occur on the WW II submarine , as crew suffer runaway fear , astonishing deeds , sensory delusions and scary happenings . As a song was supposed to be mysteriously playing on the record player (the song results to be 'Benny Goodman''s "Sing Sing Sing , With a Swing") and a vengeful ghost haunting the crew . There shows up an evil that lurks just below the surface of the ocean and deep inside the human psyche causing panic , mental deceptions and terror .

This is a terror/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat , though some moments turns out to be confusing and slow-moving . Exciting film packs intrigue , intense scenes , grisly killings and amazing suspense . This is a creepy flick in which ¨U-571¨ meets ¨Poltergeist¨. The star-studded cast is well headed by Bruce Greenwood , Olivia Williams , Matthew Davis and excellent plethora of secondaries as Holt McCallany , Dexter Fletcher , Nick Chinlund , Andrew Howard and Scott Foley . Some filming for this movie took place on an actual WW2 submarine . The USS Silversides -which is available for tours- located in Muskegon Michigan was towed out into the middle of Lake Michigan where scenes with Bruce Greenwood were filmed . The rest of the sets and models used in this movie were all based on the look and layout of the Silversides . Appropriate and suspenseful musical score by Graeme Revell . Atmospheric and colorful cinematography by Ian Wilson .

The motion picture was well written and directed by David Twohy , though Darren Aronofsky, who co-wrote the screenplay, was originally going to direct the film in 1999 but instead made Requiem for a dream (2000). David is an expert writer and director of splendid Sci-Fi movies . As his first picture was the acceptable ¨Timescape¨ and subsequently made ¨The arrival¨ with Charlie Sheen . He also wrote ¨Warlock¨, ¨Waterworld ¨, a script for ¨Alien 3¨ in 1988, but it was rejected . Back in May of 2000, Fox Studios once inquired for his availability to write and direct "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" , but turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts . David subsequently directed this ¨Below¨, the successful ¨Pich Black¨ as well as its sequels ¨ The chronicles of Riddick¨ and his last movie ¨Riddick¨(2013) .

Seen It All Before

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 6 January 2005]

I've never understood the cross genre concept of mixing a horror movie into a war film . I did like THE KEEP mainly due to the art house flourishes ( One of the things people detested about Michael Mann's adaptation ) but have so far missed out on seeing THE BUNKER and DEATHWATCH . I guess the appeal to film makers is that it's easy to kick start a story of having a bunch of soldiers turn up at a deserted locale where they find a demonic force trying to kill them one by one which isn't a million miles away from the plot of say PREDATOR or DOG SOLDIERS . But when you stop to consider the horrors of war do we need supernatural elements to horrify an audience ?

BELOW is somewhat different from the films mentioned above because it does somewhat lack a sense of time and space . The American submarine where the story is set could easily have been set on a spaceship in the future and to be honest the movie does feel very similar to EVENT HORIZON . There's little gore involved from director David Twohey which is a both a good and bad thing since he doesn't use the gimmick of explict violence to shock the audience but makes the film a bit too talky for its own good

BELOW can probably be summed up in thus - If you liked EVENT HORIZON you will like BELOW . If you thought DAS BOOT was terrifying without any supernatural elements you probably won't like BELOW

Best unknown movie of the year so far

[fred-287 · 28 October 2002]

This was only playing at one cinema in my area (off my usual track) and when I saw it listed in the paper I thought "Wait, how did I miss that?" But it was rated R (always a plus for me; for one thing, an R rating means the F-word gets used at least twice, so it'll have at least that much realism) and I had read somewhere (probably on IMDB) that it was about submarines, so I thought I'd take a crack at it. My venture was well rewarded.

Set during World War II, an American submarine rescues 3 people on a liferaft, one of whom turns out to be a woman, news of which galvanizes the sub's crew, who seem to know every female slang term ("Brillo pad" was new to me). The movie pays tribute to the German "Das Boot," the best submarine flick ever, as the camera goes darting from one passageway to another as the crewmen are introduced. Then some odd things start occurring.

Helping to win me over was the sheer copiousness of period detail with all the 1940s technology used by the crew to run their boat plus their cigarettes, girlie pin-ups, phonograph records, a Yo-Yo, etc. The actors all rang true except for the young idealistic guy. Lots of great claustrophobic atmosphere; limited but effective use of a certain kind of special effect. One needs to pay attention, such as the mirror scene, where you might think "Is that image duplicating what the guy is doing, or not?" Slow but steady heightening of tension and development of otherwordly aspects. Delightful underwater renditions with plankton & manta rays cavorting. Some drawbacks: too much use of flashbacks, some of which may be "false" (Hitchcock used a false flashback once & always regretted it); too much action occurring off-screen, to where it calls attention to itself. There's a central flashback issue that seems to call for an awful lot of expository dialogue, some of which occurs when one would suppose the characters would be engaged with more pressing matters, such as running out of air.

Given how many other recent movies have cost a lot more money, been given much more ballyhoo but have had much weaker plot, characterization and atmosphere, it seems a shame "Below" must rely entirely on word of mouth, or keyboard. I won't claim I was on the "edge of my seat" throughout but I definitely "bought into" the situation. There's a really lovely closing shot, like a shorter & underwater "Koyaanisqatsi," that no one should find overly corny or contrived.

Bottom line: if you can't find this one in a cinema or reach it before it goes away, keep an eye out for video. The studio made a mistake just blowing the movie off, it deserves better.

In one scene we see a seaman with pet fish in a tank, a nice ironic touch.

atmospheric submarine chiller

[Stefan_Glasgow · 7/10 · 26 September 2023]

The relatively low 6-ish average rating might lead you believe this is a poor movie that's not worth your time, and that would be both doing the movie a disservice, and potentially cause you to miss out on something you would enjoy.

There is something of a limit to possible plots with submarine movies to be honest. The elements of anxiety and tension and some of the more obvious risks of being in a submarine at combat are well defined to anyone who has worked as, or with, a submariner or is well versed on those aspects of naval warfare pertaining to submarines. There ARE going to be some aspects of things you've seen in other submarine movies , it's unavoidable.

Nevertheless I feel that this movie, with it's undercurrent of something weird and disturbing going on introduces something to a submarine movie I've not seen before.

If you like movies that put you in tense, creepy situations with no obvious way to escape then this might be your movie.

Overall the acting and script were fine. I watched this again for the second time so I perhaps was left feeling that the tension would have benefitted from being ramped up even more, but I do remember being suitably chilled the first time I watched it.

This is a tense chiller, not really a horror, imo so it's important to set ones' expectations accordingly.

Definitely worth a watch if you like this style of movie. I would rate 7.5/10.

You probably haven't seen it, you probably should.

[oneguyrambling · 7/10 · 30 October 2010]

I was handed a copy of this by a mate and told "Just watch it.", so I did. I knew nothing about this film prior to watching it aside from the title on a nondescript DVD surface.

The plot is handed to us swiftly, within a few minutes you get the set up, a WWII plane spots signs of life in the water and as they are low on fuel radios a submarine, the USS Tiger Shark to investigate,

Now that I know it is a Submarine flick (Duh, "Below") I immediately wonder how long it will take to hear "Dive! Dive".

The Submarine picks up 3 survivors hastily with an enemy ship bearing down on them, the rescuees are apparently British from a hospital ship, 2 patients and a female nurse.

Cut to a fairly clumsy scene where that fact is spread throughout the boat Chinese Whispers style, only with each new guy a different euphemism "a woman", "a female", "a skirt", "a bleeder", and more I can't remember. Yes sailors can be an informal bunch with colourful colloquialisms, no need to belabour the point.

Curiously enough, the rest of the movie only has sporadic use of profanity. I know it's a movie but realism is realism. By this point it is clear that we have already met most of the cast, the woman is familiar, I recognize a couple others from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and others appear vaguely familiar from random films. (I finally realized that the lead actress played Bruce Willis' wife in "The Sixth Sense".)

Within hours it comes to light that the enemy ship is still searching for the sub, leading to a scene in which a tense "All Silence" order is broken by the inexplicable blaring of a record playing loudly despite no-one turning it on. The ship drops depth charges on the submarine, leading to a formal order to "Shake the set and fall over a lot".

The crew initially blame the female Nurse Page for their uncovering, and restrict her to quarters, leading to her randomly walking through the ship for the first hour, don't they have a brig or a room that can be locked?

It turns out that the real Captain of the boat is no longer aboard, having died earlier in the voyage, all the other officers all seem to want to take charge, and so inevitably that leads to jealousy and one-upmanship between them.

From here on in I guess without spoilers you could say with some accuracy that we are dealing with a spooky suspenseful tale, with thankfully not too many cheap scares, although at various times you are left wondering what is real and what is imagined or a vision.

As with all "ghosty" type movies there is a lot of stuff appearing from darkness, things open and shut of their own volition and people turn slowly to see things they don't wanna see or glimpse things that they shouldn't see.

There are definite parallels between this and "Event Horizon", they are in a confined space with no-means of rescue, haunted by an unknown something, and should you leave the ship you can't breathe.

I did get tired of the lights turning off at inopportune moments, which happened at least 3 or 4 times, (once maybe but come on), also too perhaps too many "hand reaching out to pull back a curtain" bits. There is a mirror scare that I can't decide was really good or cheesy, regardless it was the one bit that gave me chills.

The finale is held on the prow (?) of the boat, obviously now afloat and in the middle of a storm. Perhaps not the ideal spot for a tiff, but the claustrophobic interiors of the boat were becoming a little stale and the change of location was beneficial.

The justification for the events when it comes to light is plausible and is actually enhanced by tidbits of information brought to light earlier in the film, but I would query if a logical explanation was really needed when a simple "spooky shtuff happens" might suffice.

All I can say is that initially I thought this would be a tale about beasties, a giant squid or similar, or even a fantasy creature. I don't get a major hard-on for spookfests but this one was well handled and a pleasant surprise. For everyone who says "like that could happen" I might point out it's a ghost story, not a WWII drama.

When the credits rolled I recognized the director as the same guy who made "Pitch Black", another low key yet quality film, and the co-writer made "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream", both interesting films.

Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. There are a million crappy ghost stories, here is a pretty good one.

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Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

[Bob-45 · 7/10 · 20 October 2004]

'Below' (terrible title) is actually three genres, an ultra-realistic WWII submarine adventure, a tense psychological mystery thriller, and a horrific ghost story. That the horrific ghost story portion is no where near as effective as the other two doesn't degrade writer-director David Twohy's achievement. It might, however, partly explain the movie's abysmal box office (less than $500,000; the sets probably cost more than that) . Twohy struggles a bit trying to integrate the genre elements. He needed have bothered. Jettisoning the ghost story entirely wouldn't have hurt the film. The three most horrific scenes don't involve the supernatural at all. One involves the sub sitting on the shallow bottom and being torn to pieces by huge hooks attached to a destroyer's anchor chain (Never seen that before; it's frighteningly plausible). The second involves divers being surprised by a school of big manta rays. The third is searching for survivors in darkened compartments incinerated by a blast of escaping hydrogen from the ship's depleted batteries.

'Below' lovingly recreates the look and feel of the 1940s in color, sound, texture and costumes and is the best period recreation since 'LA Confidential'. For example, one character collects real toy prizes from CRACKER JACK boxes. How many people in an audience would remember those?

'Below' is cast with a crew of very competent unknowns, such as Bruce Greenwood ('The Core') and Matt Davis. Olivia Williams (Bruce Willis' wife in 'The Six Sense') is probably the most familiar face. However, even she looks considerably different here. The use of unknowns works well for a submarine movie, slightly less so for a mystery. However, it doesn't work well at all for a ghost story, especially considering the large cast, since some two similar faces become confusing. Further Twohy should have studied James Wong's terrific directing of 'Final Destination'. Wong correctly let unseen forces create create his horror rather than shock ghost effects. Twohy does get it right, however, in a scene when one officer studies his own movements in a mirror and finds his reflection is not the same. This scene creates a whole new spin on the classic Marx Brothers scene in 'Duck Soup'. It's the scariest supernatural bit in the whole movie.

Below may only be a winner in two out of three of it's genres, but two out of three ain't bad. It's a keeper. I give 'Below' a '7'.

Eerie little genre cocktail

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 7/10 · 21 May 2016]

David Twohy's Below cleverly combines two genres which seem to be made for each other, yet had never met up until this film. The atmospheric ghost thriller goes on an underwater ride with the submarine film for quite the unique and eerie experience. Strange occurrences happen aboard a US army submarine during a routine WWII patrol mission, starting with the rescue of several stranded British castaways from a decimated ship, including Olivia Williams and Dexter Fletcher. The Captain (Bruce Greenwood) attempts to keep his crew calm, but apparently it's bad luck to have a woman onboard and soon uneasiness creeps in amongst them. There's a mystery about their quarters as well, involving the supernatural, and pretty soon crewmembers are seeing, hearing and reporting eerie stuff, which adds to the tension. The crew is rounded out by an eclectic bunch of actors including Nick Chinlund, Holt McCallany, Matthew Davis, Christopher Fairbank, and Zach Galifianakis as a guy named Weird Wally who really lives up to the name. There's some spooky moments, high drama between the cast which they pull off well, and a twist ending that explains the ghostly elements. Underrated stuff.

Another ghost story

[The_Void · 5/10 · 27 January 2005]

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.

Sea Story with a Twist

[Topgallant · 7/10 · 3 February 2005]

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.

Didn't make any sense

[marsh876 · 1/10 · 13 February 2008]

This movie didn't make any sense to me. It started out good, but fell apart quickly. There are occasionally some good underwater visuals, but not enough to justify watching this mess. Maybe there is a plot or story there somewhere, but it's not worth my effort to find it. I wasn't in the navy on a submarine, and not in WWII, either, but I can't believe the constant chip on the shoulder, angry and tough talk. I think this is a very modern phenomena in movies. It's a lazy writer's device, no character development or human warmth or relationships need be dealt with. Most of the time it's dark with glaring lights, often one doesn't know what one is seeing or what is going on. It's hard to care about anyone in the movie or what is happening.

A smart, chilling "B" picture.

[jojofla · 10/10 · 20 October 2002]

Below (*****) I know what you're thinking. A "B" picture about a haunted submarine? And I think it's the best flick I've seen so far this year? Well, when a "B" picture is this smart, this intricate, this well-made, this damned entertaining, then, yeah, it's the best movie I've seen so far this year.

Here's the set-up: it's 1943 in the North Atlantic, and the U.S.S. Tiger Shark picks up three survivors from a British hospital ship that was torpedoed two days earlier; the discovery that one of the survivors is a German leads to violence; and, then, really weird things start happening, all the while a German cruiser is chasing the sub down. Is a ghost trying to destroy the sub and its crew, or are they just imagining things through convenient coincidences?

Below was written by Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky and the film's director, David N. Twohy; Aronofsky is the smart filmmaker behind the art-house hit Requiem for a Dream, and Twohy has consistently specialized in sophisticated "B" pictures like The Arrival and Pitch Black. Below offers up an intricate storyline that keeps both the characters and the audience guessing--when they and we aren't jumping out of our skins in terror. Twohy's direction is an example of economic brilliance--the flick charges forward, piling on the twists and scares methodically, but never gratuitously--thankfully, this is a horror flick that's more about mood than about gore--indeed, it's less in tune with modern splatterfests than it is an homage to the cerebral Val Lewton thrillers of the 1940s (like The Seventh Victim or Isle of the Dead).

And what mood this movie creates! Ian Wilson's cinematography is vibrant and chilling, and the magnificent special effects never overwhelm the story--except for a final, hauntingly beautiful shot that will linger in your memory for quite awhile.

An added bonus is the cast of smart players: Bruce Greenwood as the sub commander trying to hold his crew and himself together; Matt Davis as the wet-behind-the-ears officer not really accepted by the crew; Olivia Williams as an English nurse who is both suspect and suspicious; and Holt McCallaney as a gruff officer.

It appears that Below is being dumped by its studio, Dimension, with little advertising or fanfare; a shame, really, since it's one of the most sophisticated and highest quality pictures I've seen in quite awhile. [Rated R: Violence, language, brief nudity.]

Okay Spooky Sub Flick

[jrfranklin01 · 6/10 · 12 November 2004]

Encountering angry ghosts would be bad enough, but imagine having one in a submarine! Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For A Dream) takes us down beneath the surface with a tale of a bunch of U.S. sailors on a sub who rescue a few passengers from a British medical ship. Strange ghostly things begin to happen onboard as the sub flees from a German battleship's pursuit.

Don't expect Aronofsky's work to be anything like "Requiem For A Dream" or "Pi". The photography, story, etc. are quite a departure. It does have Aronosfsky's creativity though. And I have to give credit for some excellent underwater shots and good CG. The hunt of the submarine is suspenseful enough without the paranormal goings on. But what is deflating is the reason behind the strange occurrences and how some of the pieces seem to jaggedly fit when going in reverse order. A decent spooky film. 6/10

Below average

[willpak · 3/10 · 29 October 2002]

Caught this as the surprise movie, at the Dublin Horrorthon festival, over the weekend, and found it pretty unengaging. It was well put together and decently acted, but, the only surprise this movie had to offer was that it was scripted by Darren Aronofsky. The plot was incredibly weak, and the movie's resolution was like something you'd see on an episode of some naff TV show. And as for the horror element (make no mistake, this is 90% submarine movie and 10% other)to say it felt, tacked on, is an understatement.