DeepStar Six Reviews

Produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, DEEPSTAR SIX is set in the not-too-distant future against a backdrop of advanced undersea technology. In a submarine laboratory many miles below the surface, a team of scientists and Naval personnel is nearing the end of a six-month project to install the first underwater missile base, as well as study the feasibility of an undersea colony. When it is discovered that the storage site for the missiles is actually a thin layer of ocean floor, below which lies a cavern of unknown depth and size, project head Dr. Van Gelder (Marius Weyers) dispenses with caution and orders the thin layer be destroyed by explosives. Then from the depths of the cavern emerges a huge, fast-moving, deadly sea monster. About 10 minutes into DEEPSTAR SIX, it becomes clear that the film is yet another uninspired variation on ALIEN. The mechanical screenplay and flat direction fail to build suspense, and the characters are routinely drawn. While the technical work, relying heavily on miniatures, is competent, the rendering of the monster is hardly worth the wait. As derivative as it is, the idea of DEEPSTAR SIX had the potential to generate a fair amount of suspense and surprise, but the by-the-numbers storytelling and unimaginative production place it squarely in the realm of the mediocre.