The story of the Mary Celeste is a nautical mystery with a very plausible explanation. The ship was found adrift and abandoned in 1842. While many explanations have been offered, the most likely is the owner ordered the captain to run it aground and swim to shore. The ship later broke free and drifted away. Apparently this same owner had attempted a similar insurance scam earlier but it failed. This time it worked. The owner really wanted rid of this boat.
None of which, despite the title, has anything to do with this film. A researcher with the acting ability of a pornstar - ironically played by an actress by the name of Swallow - drags a few students out to sea to a plate-tectonic-rift-the-writers-never-paid-attention-in-science-class-mumbo-jumbo location to contact the Mary Celeste because we-never-bothered-to-figure-out-why. The team succeeds in wasting a lot of time onboard ship doing nothing of a scientific nature. They sit around and chat and muse and bribe the captain. Eventually the film budget runs out. Roll credits.
It was a mistake to call this a horror movie, because there are no horror elements. Sci-fi would have been a better characterization. The supporting cast did a decent job given they had a camera shoved in their face the entire time. Seriously, the camera operator needs to learn the concept of personal space. The lighting technician must have gotten sea sick and returned to shore, because the bulk of the film is shot in the dark for no reason related to the plot. There are no special effects. The music is auditory somnambulism.
Four stars for the supporting cast (mostly Roundtree) and for mercifully keeping the film short. Zero stars for the ending, which can only called such because of when it occurs in the film. Four stars.
None of which, despite the title, has anything to do with this film. A researcher with the acting ability of a pornstar - ironically played by an actress by the name of Swallow - drags a few students out to sea to a plate-tectonic-rift-the-writers-never-paid-attention-in-science-class-mumbo-jumbo location to contact the Mary Celeste because we-never-bothered-to-figure-out-why. The team succeeds in wasting a lot of time onboard ship doing nothing of a scientific nature. They sit around and chat and muse and bribe the captain. Eventually the film budget runs out. Roll credits.
It was a mistake to call this a horror movie, because there are no horror elements. Sci-fi would have been a better characterization. The supporting cast did a decent job given they had a camera shoved in their face the entire time. Seriously, the camera operator needs to learn the concept of personal space. The lighting technician must have gotten sea sick and returned to shore, because the bulk of the film is shot in the dark for no reason related to the plot. There are no special effects. The music is auditory somnambulism.
Four stars for the supporting cast (mostly Roundtree) and for mercifully keeping the film short. Zero stars for the ending, which can only called such because of when it occurs in the film. Four stars.