The Firelight Shocks DVD Review Section

Deep Rising Distributor: Entertainment in Video Region: 2 Ratio: : 2:35:1 (Enhanced for widescreen televisions) Sound: Dolby Pro Logic (Stereo)

Treat Williams leads a group of pirates out to the vast waters of the South China Sea. Once there, they intend to make off with a load of dough from the posh lot who are currently relaxing on a luxury cruise liner (in the process of being ripped off by its own initiator). Williams, his co-captain and his bungling henchman have no idea that this plan is in full swing, and when they finally do arrive at the cruise ship they find the place in ruins and only a handful of survivors. As it turns out, in great monster movie tradition, the place was wrecked by an enormous sea serpent who devours its prey alive and proceeds to suck all of its blood from it in a slow and inevitably agonising manner. Goldeneye star Famke Janssen is among the survivors seeking refuge behind some heavy gun power. Deep Rising is ultimately a blast 'em up movie, with a ton of gunfire (the sound on this disc is fantastic so watch that volume... the neighbours might get a tad pissed off) and a lot of running around screaming. Whilst this may seem like a winning recipe it does have its faults. First of all, the comedy in this movie just does not work. Especially embarrassing is Jason Flemyng (from Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) screaming 'take that you wankers' as he unloads on the sea demon. It's all a bit cringe worthy to be honest. In saying that, if you've been paying attention to the reviews on this site then you'll know that I'm a sucker for monster movies and Deep Rising delivers enough fun and (surprising for a 15 rated movie) splatter to make it worthwhile. Moreover, you can find this in the budget section of any DVD retailer so it's hardly going to make a huge dent in your pockets. The CGI is fine in this film (the monster is designed by none other than Rob Bottin) and Treat Williams, always fun to watch, seems to be having a great time in his role. All in all, this isn't a great movie but there are worse ways to kill and hour and a half and I don't think many people will feel too cheated by this inexpensive and enjoyable monster romp.

EXTRAS: A featurette which runs for a shorter time than Dawn French in a marathon. We're talking about two minutes here. The theatrical trailer too. Not great, but there you go. Irregular chapter stops too. Still, great sound and a nice widescreen transfer mean that this disc is definitely the best, if not the only, way to see Deep Rising.