I wonder what a movie titled Ghost Ship could be about? Could it perhaps be about ghosts on a ship? Well, there’s only one way to find out. The movie opens with its most memorable scene of wires cutting through a bunch of passengers aboard a luxury ship. I think the first time we saw something like this was in another nineties classic Cube. The CGI was finally at that stage where they could make a scene as complex and visceral as this one work. And look believable too. You simply had to be there in order to witness just how much hype this scene caused.
Ghost Ship is one of many sleek and modern-looking horror movies that flooded the market in the early 2000s. Final Destination, Saw, The Ring, Jeepers Creepers and Darkness Falls are just a few of them. Oh man, I remember back in the day whenever I saw the Dark Castle logo, I got really excited. Mostly because I knew that the movie I’m about to watch is going to “cool”.
We should not forget Thir13en Ghosts, also directed by Steve Beck. Now that’s a highly underrated horror movie. So, if you’ve seen any of those movies, you already know what to expect from this one. At least when it comes to visuals. Also, the same goes for the gore. I mean, within the first five minutes of the movie we had people literally spilling their guts on the floor. However, after that initial onslaught we’re mostly relegated to creaky floors and sudden movements in the dark.
The story is a familiar blend of mystery, suspense and supernatural. Ghost Ship throws at us every possible cliche and mystery regarding ships and water. Bermuda Triangle, Philadelphia Experiments, and freaking haunted ships just to name a few. However, it does all of this in a very casual and entertaining way. The key word here is entertaining because with a runtime of ninety minutes, tight storytelling and deliberate pacing, this movie will keep your attention.
It is the year of our Lord Satan 1962 and passengers aboard the Italian ocean liner MS Antonia Graza are cut down in a cruel and unusual way. The only survivor of this incident is a little girl, Katie. Fast-forward forty years and we find ourselves aboard Arctic Warrior, a salvage ship heading home after a dangerous mission. While celebrating another job well done in a bar, a man will approach them with a lucrative proposition. They just go for it but the job will be much, much harder than they thought.
I don’t know about you, but I really love Water Movies. Or better yet, Underwater Movies. There’s something about that feeling of being aboard a ship far from civilization and help. And also at the mercy of mother nature. Something primordial. The cast of Ghost Ship is a familiar one and I’m sure you’ll recognize almost every one of them. Led by Gabriel Byrne and Julianna Margulies, they did a terrific job of nailing the tone down. It had to be somewhere between casual and serious to maintain that vibrant and thrilling atmosphere.
If you’re looking for similar movies check out Virus and Triangle. And, of course, you can always go back to the classics and rewatch Sphere.
Director: Steve Beck
Writers: Mark Hanlon, John Pogue
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Karl Urban
Fun Facts: Filming in the waters full of sharks near the coast of Australia was quite an experience for the cast.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/
