Review of Underwater 2020: Cthulhu approved

Do you remember the movie “Sunshine”? It flew under the radar and enjoyed more success when the movie dropped into video stores. “Underwater” feels very similar to me.

The story: An ocean-floor drilling rig ruptures and floods, killing most of the crew and leaving only a handful of survivors (Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, John Gallagher Jr., Jessica Henwick, and T.J. Miller). But explosions and the fear of drowning are the least of their worries…

Filmed in 2017, this disaster movie/creature feature was not released until January 2020. It was literally the worst time for any movie to come out due to COVID. Then it got ignored on the physical media drop as well. It was also tough to find because it was released on physical media during the shutdown; much like the crew, this was doomed from the start.

There is a very strong sense of foreboding despair, and you can really believe no one is getting out of this alive. There is character development as you get subtle glimpses into their lives and grow to know the characters more in-depth –unfortunately, just before their untimely demise. I know people like to trash her, but Kristen Stewart is very good in this, as is the rest of the crew, including TJ Miller and Vincent Cassel. Miller is stellar, to be honest. His comedic timing is on-point, breaking up much of the tension in dire moments. Cassel is superb as the group leader, and he does some of his best character work since Crimson Rivers.

But what good is a Creature Feature without a good creature? Well, this has them in bulk. Even the random cephalopod that pops up appears eldritch in nature. Lovecraft would be blushing with the fantastic creature designs of the terrifying undersea fishmen. These creatures look straight out of Cthulhu’s sketchbook. They’re fast, cunning, ruthless killers but also very curious about their new world. It sells you on them being the apex in the water. Hopefully, they never make it to the surface.

I saw this in the theater right before Covid put us in Lockdown, and it really is a shame this didn’t make some money because it’s just as good as Deepstar Six and Leviathan. Not “The Abyss” level, of course, but what is? Think if Alien Resurrection was actually “good” and not just “fun.” A little bit of “Pacific Rim” as well.

This film combines many elements of other movies, but it’s done very well, and never did I feel like, “Well, it was better in ____.” Sure, this is not an “Alien” or “The Abyss,” those are classics and pretty much untouchable. This is probably the same level as “Sunshine,” but not quite that kind of cerebral horror level; think “Event Horizon.” It could have used more gore, but it’s very much worth a watch. Maybe 3 or 4. I think it was better than “LIFE,” which received a lot of praise but was just okay. Watch for the Alice in Wonderland references throughout. There are several.

You get a kick-ass, claustrophobic “Sunshine” meets “Alien” meets “Descent” and essentially a “Deep Star Six remake”. Stewart gives one of the most convincing performances of her career, and it is a shame more people didn’t see her as the lead of a very solid film.  If more people had seen this film upon its release, they would have probably been open to her getting more roles and bigger projects.I am a sucker for a good Fishman movie, and this ranks pretty high for me. This, “Humanoids From The Deep” and “Island of the Fishmen, aka Screamers“, are all solid additions to a Fishman marathon that has to start with “Creature from The Black Lagoon”.