Absolutely Fantastic

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

What happens every time a highly anticipated movie is about to be released? The cuckoo effect! A rival studio rushing into production a similarly themed lesser film to cash in on the free publicity of the other film. It's been going on for decades and isn't going to stop.In 1989 we got TWO cuckoo films trying to cash in on the release of James Cameron's much anticipated 'The Abyss.' One was 'Leviathan' and the other was 'Deep Star Six.' While it would be impossible for either of the two to even be in the same league as 'The Abyss,' 'Leviathan' was an enjoyable cuckoo film. It had a fantastic A list cast, a scary build up, and quality FX. 'Deep Star Six' had... Miguel Ferrer.That's the major problem with 'Deep Star Six,' it's doesn't fail because it never even tries on any level. For example, 'Leviathan's limited budget required them to film dry for wet for its underwater shots, which it did surprisingly well. 'Deep Star Six' ONLY HAS ONE 30 SECOND UNDER WATER SHOT! That's right, an under water sci-fi action film which only has one under water scene! The plot, a deep ocean under water base... well, they never really explain WTF there is a giant under water base. They only mention something about it being a nuclear missile site for the Navy or something.Unlike 'Leviathan' the characters are extremely forgettable and the cast is totally devoid of any namable stars, save Miguel Ferrer whom is terribly miscast in his role. The only other three actors I recognized were Greg Evigan ('My Two Dads' 'PSI Love You' 'Tek War') Matt McCoy (husband in 'Hand That Rocks The Cradle') and Elya Baskin (token Russian guy in EVERY MOVIE).I looked up the filmographies of the other actors just in case I missed anyone. Nope. They've barley done any other work.Their mini subs are attacked by a sea monster or so we're told. Remember, there's only one under water shot in the beginning so we never actually see the monster under water or the destruction its blamed for.The monster eventually gets inside the base and this is another example of 'Deep Star Six' not even trying as Matt McCoy being cut in half is NEVER SHOWN! In one shot he's alive, in the next he's cut in half. Maybe the monster is innocent? So far we haven't seen it cause any of the deaths. In fact, we haven't even seen the deaths! When we finally see the monster it's bigger than an elephant which begs the question, how the hell did it get inside and how does it later fit through airlocks the size of manhole covers?The surviving crew members do the only sensible thing and close the airlock, thus trapping the monster inside the base! While the airlock was leaking water they'd already decided to abandon the base anyway so what would one flooded room matter? Anyway, five crew members escape the room alive. Alright, so letter lock the door and NEVER go in that room ever again! At this point the film reminds us that they will decompress and evacuate the base in four hours. Good! Just leave the monster alone for four hours and they'll never have to see it ever again!!! Of course they go back into the room!!! What's the worst that could happen? Thus the monster causes more death and destruction. Maybe it just wants out? Open the airlock and let it out!As I said, there's nothing to hate about 'Deep Star Six' except how little it tries. It was a cuckoo project to begin with that really comes in a distant third behind 'The Abyss' and 'Leviathan.'

I remembered watching DeepStar Six on TV as a kid, about the same time I first watched "The Abyss." While this movie is not as suspenseful, dramatic and adventurous as "The Abyss," I still found it to be quite entertaining and fun.The film starts off with a crew in a sub doing some sort of experiment on an underwater nuclear base. However, their presence then disturbs an unidentified giant sea creature, which I thought resembled a large lobster. The creatures attacks the sub and crew and then the rest of the movie is basically a struggle for survival with some intense monster action.The movie is sort of predictable and the cast of characters weren't as memorable as I recalled, but it has a quick-paced plot with good special effects and intense monster action one might find enjoyable.Grade B-

Director Sean S. Cunningham of "Friday the 13th" fame brings us this waterlogged creature feature that provides undemanding entertainment provided you are like this viewer and usually eat up stuff like this. It's not really bad at all, it's just not really distinguished. It may have its flaws (such as a standard bunch of characters), but it still sizes up as reasonably fun B level genre fare.The crew of an ocean floor missile installation and research base buy themselves a whole lot of trouble when they open up a cavern in which a great big hungry, likely prehistoric lobster type animal had been residing. The thing does not take long to express its displeasure at being disturbed by causing all kinds of problems, not the least of which is snacking on our assorted cast members."DeepStar Six" has adequate action and suspense scenes, plus some moments that a viewer is likely to remember even if overall they don't care for the movie - such as a character bursting open after deciding not to decompress, and the creature chomping another right in half. The actors do a good job with their roles - Greg Evigan is a likable hero, Nancy Everhard an endearing leading lady. Taurean Blacque, Cindy Pickett, Marius Weyers, Matt McCoy, Elya Baskin, Thom Bray, and Ronn Carroll all amuse with their performances; the presence of super sexy Nia Peeples is another bonus. But Miguel Ferrer is the standout playing the kind of high strung, weaselly bastard we often expect to see in movies of this ilk. Right from his introduction he's at work complaining, and as this story plays out it's not surprising to see what a headache he becomes.Production design, by John Krenz Reinhart Jr., and cinematography, by genre veteran Mac Ahlberg ("Re- Animator", "House") are well done, and Harry Manfredini, who will go down in history for his ki-ki-ki-ma-ma-ma refrain from the "Friday the 13th" franchise, supplies a score that's really quite good and far removed from his F13 scores. That brings us to the creature itself, which is more effective when it's NOT seen. The obvious phoniness of the thing, flapping mouth and all, however, may put off some viewers and just add to the appeal for others.The movie gets off to a nice start, with the kind of scrolling opening credits we don't see too often. Genre fans will note the presence of Kane Hodder as the stunt coordinator and Mark Shostrom, Chris Walas, Greg Nicotero, and Robert Kurtzman among the creature effects crew. All things considered, this is worth a look for the monster movie lover who will embrace the sub genre no matter what the budget or level of skill (or lack thereof) may be for any given movie.Six out of 10.

DSS is a frustrating movie...not as bad as the contemporaneous "Leviathan," but not nearly as good as "The Abyss." Quite a bit of money and effort went into the movie, and the reasonably good SFX show this. Unfortunately, it falls back into the same pit of horror-SF clichés that plague most movies of the genre.Lots of "clang" moments here, too. For one thing, how are the creatures getting around the station when the crew keep closing all the water-tight hatches behind them? It's not like there's a suspended ceiling they can crawl through. And in a later scene, it seems like a good idea to open the fuel dump on a submersible vehicle and pour highly-flammable fuel all over the creature before igniting it with a flare. Huh? Since when do submersible vehicles use internal combustion engines that require petroleum-based fuels? (I'd personally like to see the air filters that extract air for the engines from the surrounding seawater.) And how do you decompress from that depth in less than three hours? But, all things considered. it's serviceable as a monster flick. Just don't expect any common sense. Oh, and don't get attached to any of the characters.