Boil It Down: A boring and pointless excursion created to cash in on another, better underwater adventure.
The script written by Lewis Abernathy and Geof Miller spends a considerable amount of time at the outset setting up the characters, creating their personalities and the conflicts which supposedly make them three dimensional beings instead of creature food. There's nothing wrong with character development, per se, as long as it's done right. Here, a combination of mediocre acting and character profiles straight out of the Lazy Screenwriters Manual conspire to make these eleven people less compelling than they should be. Ferrer's Snyder is the crazy one with an inferiority complex. Scarpelli, as played by Nia Peeples, is the green researcher trying to do everything right all the time. Doctor Van Gelder (Marius Weyers) turns out to be the prototypical scientist with a one-track mind. They all lack a backstory, the things that make them tick...texture, in other words, which would make their deaths impact the audience. Two die rather quickly, without the chance to make much of a name for themselves. Not that they miss much in the long run. It's a foregone conclusion who will survive to the end credits; DeepStar Six telegraphs that revelation in the opening scene.
Because they're not fully-formed people, the audience can't be expected to care about them or their problems, leading to a major flaw in DeepStar Six: a big "meh" no matter what happens on the screen. As the rapidly dwindling number of people run from one compartment to another only to babel on about decompression or the reactor, it feels like they're simply going through the motions with no clear idea of what's actually going on. The missile plotline, designed to be the legitimate way into the monster story, is quickly discarded as if it means nothing. (It doesn't, in the end.) This isn't an exploration story, about making contact with a new lifeform or exploring a previously unknown portion of the ocean. (Thankfully, no one gets the bright idea of trying to study the Big Bad.) This is simply a run, scream, die, repeat film. In the absence of any reason for existence other than cashing in on The Abyss, I guess that's alright. But it should aspire to be more, either in the creature design, in the special effects, in the acting...anything. A noble failure is better than a safe win, after all.
Most of the problems with the finished product stem from the characters-and thus, the acting-but the production values leave more than a bit to be desired. Underwater shots look like they were physically created on a stage; it's all very dark, with limited visibility and extremely limited details on the sea floor. Yes, the action takes place many fathoms underwater and light doesn't necessarily get down that far. However, with the lighting rigs already set up, the environment should be a little clearer, at least. When it comes to the subs and vehicles, there's a cheap look to them, as if they were created using Hotwheels toys in a bathtub. Subs are usually shown in long shot, perhaps an acknowledgment the models aren't very good. The by-product of this filming style is an overwhelming "fake" feeling, especially as the undersea vehicles seemingly "fly" over ridges without any kind of trail behind them. At one point, it's hard not to imagine the submersible kicking up some dust on the way to it's destination. (How does a bulldozer-esque contraption stay grounded to the ocean floor and move at the same time without floating to the surface? I'm sure there's a scientific explanation for it, but the film doesn't care about the science. Only the action.)
Since "the creature" is the main selling point in DeepStar Six, it's only fair to talk about the Venus Fly Trap-like monstrosity. At various points, the creature tends to sport different characteristics. It almost completely knocks over a research module yet is seemingly stopped by an interior hatch. That same creature is big enough to show up on sonar and leave full-sized vehicles screaming for mercy, yet can fit into any given room of the command center. It's smart enough to stay far away from a nuclear reactor overloading but can't figure out a protagonist throwing gasoline into the ocean and aiming a gun at the spill is bad. At least when Cameron added to the Alien mythology, he did it in a logical, thoughtful way, mindful of the questions or loopholes he was potentially creating. The script here seems to do whatever it wants whenever it wants for no other reason than because it wants to.
Cunningham's action direction is serviceable, if unremarkable. He trots out slow motion to exaggerate the tension, mostly to cheesy effect, failing to take any risks in what the camera shows the audience. There are a handful of shot from underwater, designed to show the creature's vantage point or a pair of legs trying to run from one end of the screen to another. Creature shots are generally from the front of the thing, allowing it's giant maw to open, displaying two poorly placed eyes and pincers on all sides of the mouth. The movie doesn't show the thing in all its glory. And why is that ultimately a bad thing? If the reason the audience is in the seats is so laughable it can't be shown, then the finished product has no hope.
DeepStar Six is available on DVD.
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