Fuck it.I'm going to skip the usually accepted "shit sandwich" method and go straight for what I didn't like about Leviathan.
Daniel Stern (who you'll recognize from Home Alone) plays Buzz "Sixpack" Parrish who is, I'm sure, meant to be the comic relief but just comes across as a total douche nozzle. He sexually harasses both the female crew members (which they take with an attitude of "aw, shucks") relentlessly and his bunk is plastered with glossy tits. I won't say what happens to him, for the sake of spoilers, but by the time the action picks up, you're praying for some big, nasty sea monster to show up and gobble his ass up.
There are some great bits of humor in Leviathan but none of them are provided by Sixpack's boarish behavior which, really, could only amuse twelve-year-old boys.
My only other complaint with Leviathan is the film's lead, Peter Weller (Steven Beck.) Peter Weller is a kind, polite person--but not a good actor. His acting ability might have been enough to carry the role of tortured robot, but not heroic deep-sea captain. It's just painful to watch his emotionless delivery as he tries to control the crew that has no respect for him.
Okay, I think I got that out of my system. Let's talk Leviathan.
I like the movie's intro. The sinister music playing over the tranquil seascape is ominous and a good sign of what's to come. The music can be a little overpowering in places throughout the movie but it works particularly well during the intro.
Leviathan gets off to a good start with music that suggests spooky things to come. It also does a good job of creating conflict by making it clear that the crew doesn't all get along. In addition, the movie starts at a time when they're already on edge, just days before their months-long mission is supposed to end. It's clear that the smallest thing will set off a sea of trouble (pardon the pun) and, of course, it does.
The effects are simple but effective. The underwater walk with the sunken ship and the waving sea life look very realistic. Even the technology, which should feel terrible outdated now, works. You would expect computers, etc. to be a little out-of-date in places like mining colonies, no matter the location, so it just adds to the dingy, this-is-where-people-work feeling of the base.
It also helps that the weapons the crew pick up to defend themselves from the lurking monster are just mining tools. We don't think about it, but weapons can also age a movie. Leviathan has aged better than it should have because of the setting and the weapons.
The movie's monster is actually pretty cool. It changes as it grows, becoming more grotesque as it absorbs its victims. I like that it was created by humans through experiments in genetic manipulation. There's nothing outside, nothing other there; it's all human error, which is more terrifying than anything else, really.
In Leviathan, human... greed, for lack of a better word, drives us to dangerous depths--both figuratively and literally. I'm not just talking about Sixpack helping himself to the loot in the Soviet vessel, but the crew being down there in the first place. Humans have no right being at the bottom of the ocean but as long as there are minerals to be found (and money to be made from those minerals,) that's exactly where humans will be.
If it sounds like I'm being judgy it's because I am.
Humans suck.
Luckily, Leviathan doesn't. Sure, it's basically just Aquatic Alien, but it works. It's got a bit of humor, plenty of action, and a "twist" ending that's actually a fun surprise. If you're looking for a little deep sea horror, Leviathan is a good choice.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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