Deep Rising

Deep Rising
Theatrical released poster
Directed by	Stephen Sommers
Written by	Stephen Sommers
Produced by	Laurence Mark John Baldecchi
Starring	Treat Williams Famke Janssen Anthony Heald Kevin J. O'Connor Wes Studi Derrick O'Connor Jason Flemyng Djimon Hounsou
Cinematography	Howard Atherton
Edited by	Bob Ducsay John Wright
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Production companies	Hollywood Pictures Cinergi Pictures
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution(Americas/France) Cinergi Productions(International)
Release date	January 30, 1998(1998-01-30)
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$45 million
Box office	$11.2 million (USA)

Deep Risingis a 1998 Americanactionhorror filmwritten and directed byStephen Sommersand starringTreat Williams,Famke JanssenandAnthony Heald.It was distributed byHollywood PicturesandCinergi Picturesand released on January 30, 1998. While the film was a critical and box office failure, it has been regarded as acult film.

Plot

Amidst a storm, Captain John Finnegan and his crew, Joey Pantucci, and Leila are hired bymercenariesHanover, Mulligan, Mason, Billy, T-Ray, Mamooli, and Vivo to pilot their boat across theSouth China Seato an undisclosed rendezvous point. Meanwhile, theArgonautica,a luxurycruise shipbuilt and owned by Simon Canton, is undertaking its maiden voyage. A saboteur eventually disables its navigation and communication systems. Something rises from beneath and rams the vessel, leaving it dead in the water, as the passengers are slaughtered by unseen monstrous creatures.

A speedboat that the Argonautica has shaken loose collides with Finnegan's boat. The mercenaries seize control with the intention of looting the passengers and vault of the Argonautica and then using the torpedoes stored on board to sink the ship. Leaving Leila and Billy behind to repair the boat, the group boards the ship, where the creatures kill them both. The group reaches the ballroom only to find blood and no sign of the passengers. Finnegan and Joey go to the ship's workshop to scavenge parts to repair the boat. Meanwhile, the creatures kill T-Ray as he investigates the unusual noises. The creatures drag Mamooli away from Hanover, forcing Finnegan and Joey to escape. Trillian, an imprisoned passenger, encounters them. Meanwhile, Hanover's group reaches the vault, and Vivo opens it. However, Canton, who was hiding inside with Captain Atherton and three other passengers, mistakenly kills Vivo. Mason and Mulligan panic and accidentally kill off the passengers.

Canton is found to be the saboteur, having hired the mercenaries to sink the unprofitable ship so that he couldcollect on the insurance.The creatures then attack and eat Atherton. Canton theorizes that the creatures are an evolution of theOttoia,which drain their victims of their bodily fluids and then eject the bloody carcasses. As the survivors flee, Mason is grabbed by a creature and kills himself by detonating a grenade. Mulligan elects to stay behind in the crew's galley until a rescue party can arrive. The creature eventually approaches Mulligan, who scares it off with fire of the stove in the kitchen before being devoured from behind by another one.

In a running battle, the survivors find themselves being herded towards the ship's bow and find a "feeding ground" full of bloodyskeletal remains.Attempting to rid himself of any witnesses to his insurance scam, Canton misleads the others to the bow while he moves towards an exit route. The creatures break through the hull, flooding the lower decks and separating the survivors. Hanover wounds Joey to slow the creatures and is eventually devoured by one. As an act of mercy, Joey leaves Hanover a gun. However, Hanover wastes his only shot trying to kill Joey and is consumed.

Finnegan and Trillian spot an island and return to Finnegan's boat, but—having lost the engine parts—find it useless as a means of escape. Joey returns and begins repairs, and Finnegan sets the boat'sautopilotto crash into theArgonauticaand detonate the torpedoes. Trillian returns to theArgonauticaand locates ajet skiwith the fuel they can use to reach the island, but Canton arrives armed with a flare gun. Canton asks Trillian to join him or hand over the keys, but she flees and he chases her. Finnegan pursues Canton to the ballroom on the main deck, saving Trillian. The creatures smash through the main deck and are revealed to be tentacles of a vast deep-sea monster—the Octalus—rather than individual entities. The Octalus grabs hold of Finnegan, who shoots it in the eye, blinding it and freeing himself, and he and Trillian escape on the jet ski. Canton flees theArgonauticaby jumping onto Finnegan's boat, but breaks his leg doing so. Crippled, he cannot disable the autopilot and dies as the boat crashes into theArgonautica,detonating the torpedoes and destroying both ships and the Octalus.

Finnegan and Trillian reach the island and reunite with Joey, who they thought had died. A roar then echoes from the jungle. The island turns out to have an active volcano in the distance as something big comes crashing through the trees towards the beach.

Cast

• Treat Williamsas John Finnegan
• Famke Janssenas Trillian St. James
• Anthony Healdas Simon Canton
• Kevin J. O'Connoras Joey Pantucci
• Wes Studias Hanover
• Derrick O'Connoras Captain H.W. Atherton
• Jason Flemyngas Mulligan
• Cliff Curtisas Mamooli
• Clifton Powellas Mason
• Trevor Goddardas T-Ray
• Djimon Hounsouas Vivo
• Una Damon as Leila
• Clint Curtis as Billy

Production

Stephen Sommersbegan writing the script toDeep Rising,then calledTentacle,when he worked atHollywood Picturesin the mid-1990s. Sommers was inspired to write the script for the film after reading aNational Geographicarticle aboutjellyfish.Claire Forlaniwas originally cast as Trillian St. James, but dropped out after just three days, due to creative differences with Sommers, andFamke Janssenwas subsequently cast. Janssen almost did not get the part because the producers felt she was too recognizable fromGoldenEye.Harrison Fordturned down the role of John Finnegan, which later went toTreat Williams,and the film's budget was later downsized.

Filming forDeep Risingbegan on June 12, 1996, and lasted until October 18 of that year. The film was originally set for release in the fall of 1997, but was delayed until the following January 1998.Industrial Light and Magicwas responsible for the film's special effects whileRob Bottinwho had previously worked onThe Thingand onPaul Verhoven'sRoboCopwas hired as the special makeup effects designer.

The exterior shots of the cruise shipArgonauticawere created bycomputer-generated imagery;it is an original design not based on any existing vessel.Two models of the cruise ship were created, a 38-foot (12 m) model for shots of theArgonauticaon the ocean, and a 110-foot (34 m) model for the sinking ofArgonautica.

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend, the film made $4,737,793 (42% of its total gross), ranking #8. It ended with a total intake of $11.2 million in North America.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoesgives the film a score of 36%, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 10, based on 36 reviews. The website's "Critics Consensus" for the film reads, "Its fleeting glimpses of creature feature mayhem are certainly dumb fun, butDeep Risingcribs from far too many better movies to stand on its own. "Chicago Sun-TimescriticRoger Ebertincluded the film in his most hated list.Ebert called the film "essentially anAlienclone with a fresh paint job ".Variety'sLeonard Klady said the film "is an old-fashioned B-movie with A-budget effects, but the quality sheen can't disguise the cheap-thrills hokum."

Ty Burr,writing forEntertainment Weeklycalled the film "a tightly written, often howlingly funnyAliensknockoff that, in its portrayal of tough men and tougher women under pressure, favorably recalls the work of Howard Hawks ", giving it a grade of" B− ".Bloody Disgustingwrote, "Excellent cast, State-of-art special effects, and terrific acting, this is a movie that should not be missed."

Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.

Deep Risinghas gone on to become acult film.Later, director Stephen Sommers said: "It didn't do a ton of business, but it has a very fervent following."

Home media

Deep Risingwas released onDVDandVHSon October 19, 1998, both of which are now out of print. It was released as a 2-Disc Special Edition onDVDandBlu-rayon August 7, 2007. It was released onBlu-rayas a double feature withThe Puppet Mastersfrom Mill Creek Entertainment on October 9, 2012.Kino Lorberre-released the film on DVD and Blu-ray with new special features on August 21, 2018.

External links

• Deep RisingatIMDb
• Deep RisingatBox Office Mojo
• Original draft
• Review by Scifi
• Stomp Tokyo review