This is truly abysmal, but if you can mentally switch off to the embarrassingly terrible dialogue, acting, special effects, make up, set design, camera work and generally everything else to do with the movie, then it's not that bad.
What's good:
(1) The score. Generic action movie background music, but it works quite effectively, helping distract from the general awfulness of what's happening on screen.
(2) The basic premise of the story is good. Replace the sailing ships of the 19th century book with nuclear submarines, making Ishmael a marine biologist abducted by the submarine captain, a man obsessed with hunting down a rouge giant mutant whale, all of them being pursued by the US navy who think that the captain is the cause of all the trouble ... actualty, I'm not quite clear what the motive of the pursuing navy was, but ... actually, I'm not sure about anything else, either, but, hey, it's a movie!
(3) It made me smile, something a lot of 'better' movies have failed to do. Particularly liked the moment when a Russian survivor of a whale attack, who "only speaks Russian", immediately answers her interrogator's questions in English.
(4) The actor playing Ahab is enjoyable, treading a fine line between Gregory Peck and Commandant Lassard in his portrayal of the submarine captain. Barry Bostwick is evidently an accomplished jobbing actor from IMDb information, and I imagine he can grip a stage audience with the conviction of his delivery, but there is no pretence here. He just gives it his all and hopefully managed to pay a couple of household bills afterwards.
Expect a cross between The Hunt for Red October, Jaws VII, Police Academy and Das Boot's less funny out-takes, all performed by the local amateur dramatics theatre company 'B' team, and you won't be far wrong.
I disagree with some other reviews, this is not awful to a "I-wish- there-was-a-way-I-could-unsee-it" degree. I might even watch it again on a dull evening. Eight out of ten? I know, but I just think this movies has a quality all of its own which should be recognized.
What's good:
(1) The score. Generic action movie background music, but it works quite effectively, helping distract from the general awfulness of what's happening on screen.
(2) The basic premise of the story is good. Replace the sailing ships of the 19th century book with nuclear submarines, making Ishmael a marine biologist abducted by the submarine captain, a man obsessed with hunting down a rouge giant mutant whale, all of them being pursued by the US navy who think that the captain is the cause of all the trouble ... actualty, I'm not quite clear what the motive of the pursuing navy was, but ... actually, I'm not sure about anything else, either, but, hey, it's a movie!
(3) It made me smile, something a lot of 'better' movies have failed to do. Particularly liked the moment when a Russian survivor of a whale attack, who "only speaks Russian", immediately answers her interrogator's questions in English.
(4) The actor playing Ahab is enjoyable, treading a fine line between Gregory Peck and Commandant Lassard in his portrayal of the submarine captain. Barry Bostwick is evidently an accomplished jobbing actor from IMDb information, and I imagine he can grip a stage audience with the conviction of his delivery, but there is no pretence here. He just gives it his all and hopefully managed to pay a couple of household bills afterwards.
Expect a cross between The Hunt for Red October, Jaws VII, Police Academy and Das Boot's less funny out-takes, all performed by the local amateur dramatics theatre company 'B' team, and you won't be far wrong.
I disagree with some other reviews, this is not awful to a "I-wish- there-was-a-way-I-could-unsee-it" degree. I might even watch it again on a dull evening. Eight out of ten? I know, but I just think this movies has a quality all of its own which should be recognized.