Review of Leviathan (1989) by Marc L — 27 May 2011

In a mining corporation "Tri-Oceanic", the company hires civilians to work under the sea for 90 working days. The man in charge is Steven Beck (Peter Weller), who does his best handling his crew members (Amanda Pays, Ernie Hudson, Hector Elizondo, Michael Carmine, Lisa Eilbacher and Daniel Stern) and the doctor in staff (Richard Crenna). Like any other working day under the sea, two of the crew members has discovers an sinked Russian ship named "Leviathan". When they looked around, one of them has discover an safe. All they found inside is a pictures, a vodka bottle, a video tape and a flask of vodka. Which the crew member found in the safe has taking it without his boss seeing it. When he starts drinking it, along another crew member drinking it secretly. Then they both gets sick, one of them died quietly and the other committed suicide. The doctor, who knows the Russian language well. Along with Beck, they watched the video and they discover the Russian crew are actually scientists and they were playing god. Now these two dead crew members are having generic alteration and slowly turning into the unknown. When the crew tries to get rid of these bodies and putting it out to sea. Parts of the creature got inside the vessel. Now starts killing the crew, one by one. While Beck's boss above the sea (Meg Foster) warms them, they can't escape. Since there's an major storm coming. Now the crew has to do anything to stay alive.

Directed by George P. Cosmatos (Rambo:First Blood Part 2, Cobra, Tombstone) made an entertaining, familiar Sci-Fi/Adventure/Horror/Thriller. They were two Science Fictions films about under the sea back in 1989. One was Sean S. Cunningham's cheap looking but horrible "Deep Star Six" and James Cameron's underrated "The Abyss". Since this feature and the two others were major box office disappointments. The premise isn't really nothing new but director Cosmatos has an good cast at work here, the production designs by Rob Cobb (Conan the Barbarian, The Last Starfighter), imaginative creature work by Stan Winston studios, good looking cinematography by Alex Thomson (Alien 3, Death Line, Legend) and fine music score by Jerry Goldsmith (Gremlins 1 & 2, The Omen, Total Recall).

"Levithan", it's far from a perfect movie. The screenplay by David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner, Twelve Monkeys, Unforgiven) and Jeb Staurt (Another 48 Hrs, Die Hard, The Fugitive) does have its problems at times but that hardly matters, the picture has a refreshing sense of humor and there's few memorable gory moments of suspense. This film of went on to be a cult favorite. Fans of Science-Fiction/Horror Genre will certainly like this one.