"Up From The Depths" belongs at the bottom of any discerning movie-buff's list of "Jaws" relatives, it is truly dire. The plot summary needs no more than one line - a giant monster fish terrorises staff and holidaymakers at a Hawaiian beach resort.
The movie is actually not too badly filmed and a lot of the action takes place on boats and in open water. I say "action", although in fact there isn't really very much. The giant fish attacks are portrayed on screen by means of very fast cutting, and lots of extreme close ups of thrashing, bubbles and red tinted water, so in other words, NOTHING. The fish, when it does make it's fleeting appearances is pretty plastic and immobile looking, although there are almost no clear shots of it anywhere in the entire movie.
What can't be ignored, though, is the unbelievable audio soundtrack. According to another reviewer's comments about the movie on IMDb, this was all added in post- production because the original live recorded soundtrack was lost. This makes for some pretty jaw-dropping viewing, and if you come in expecting to watch the film for laughs. you might even find it hilarious. Towards the end, when a full scale hunt gets underway for the fish, the movie begins to resemble the comedy movie "Airplane!" as all the cast speak the most ridiculous dialogue in rapid fire comedy turns. It makes it look like the film was originally intended to be a comedy...maybe it was? If it wasn't, then the vocal dubbing well and truly destroys it. Maybe the post-dub recording cast didn't give a damn and just decided to enjoy themselves. It's probably the best thing about the movie.
Sadly, the visual disappointment of the fishy menace itself, and the lack of any real special effects in general, mean that "Up From The Depths" is devoid of any tension or drama. But bad movie fans might find it to be worth a look
The movie is actually not too badly filmed and a lot of the action takes place on boats and in open water. I say "action", although in fact there isn't really very much. The giant fish attacks are portrayed on screen by means of very fast cutting, and lots of extreme close ups of thrashing, bubbles and red tinted water, so in other words, NOTHING. The fish, when it does make it's fleeting appearances is pretty plastic and immobile looking, although there are almost no clear shots of it anywhere in the entire movie.
What can't be ignored, though, is the unbelievable audio soundtrack. According to another reviewer's comments about the movie on IMDb, this was all added in post- production because the original live recorded soundtrack was lost. This makes for some pretty jaw-dropping viewing, and if you come in expecting to watch the film for laughs. you might even find it hilarious. Towards the end, when a full scale hunt gets underway for the fish, the movie begins to resemble the comedy movie "Airplane!" as all the cast speak the most ridiculous dialogue in rapid fire comedy turns. It makes it look like the film was originally intended to be a comedy...maybe it was? If it wasn't, then the vocal dubbing well and truly destroys it. Maybe the post-dub recording cast didn't give a damn and just decided to enjoy themselves. It's probably the best thing about the movie.
Sadly, the visual disappointment of the fishy menace itself, and the lack of any real special effects in general, mean that "Up From The Depths" is devoid of any tension or drama. But bad movie fans might find it to be worth a look