Deep Rising (1998)
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A luxury cruise ship becomes a floating slaughterhouse when an unidentified saboteur and a deep-sea monster strike simultaneously.
The story
Captain John Finnegan and his crew are hired by mercenaries to pilot a boat across the South China Sea. Simultaneously, the luxury cruise ship Argonautica begins its maiden voyage. Tragedy strikes when an unidentified saboteur disables the ship's navigation and communication systems, and something from the depths seizes the vessel. The crew and passengers are slaughtered by unseen creatures. A collision between the two boats allows the mercenaries to seize control of the Argonautica, intending to loot the ship and its vault before using its torpedoes to sink it.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Captain John Finnegan and his crew are hired by mercenaries to pilot a boat across the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the luxury cruise ship Argonautica is hijacked by an unidentified saboteur and attacked by deep-sea creatures. After a collision, the mercenaries board the Argonautica to loot it. They find the ship filled with blood and no survivors. During the chaos, the mercenaries, the ship's owner Simon Canton, and several survivors are hunted by the creatures. Canton is revealed as the saboteur who hired the pirates to loot the ship for insurance money. The creatures are revealed to be the tentacles of a vast deep-sea cephalopod-like monster known as the Octalus. In a final confrontation, Finnegan manages to blind the monster. He and a survivor, Trillian, escape on a jet ski while Canton, crippled after jumping onto Finnegan's boat, dies as the boat crashes into the Argonautica, detonating the torpedoes and destroying both ships. Finnegan and Trillian reach an island, only to find something large crashing through the trees toward them.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stephen Sommers
- Writers
- Stephen Sommers · writer
- Cast and characters
- Treat Williams · John Finnegan; Famke Janssen · Trillian; Anthony Heald · Captain Atherton; Kevin J. O'Connor · Joey; Wes Studi · Mamooli; Derrick O'Connor · T-Ray; Jason Flemyng · Hanover; Djimon Hounsou · Vivo
- Genres
- action horror; science fiction horror; survival
- Themes
- Greed; Survival; Nature vs. Technology
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Horror; Suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- Ship Hijacking; Monster Attack; Insurance Fraud
- Content notes
- Blood
- Reception
- The film was a critical and box office failure but has since gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F scale
- Production trivia
- The script was inspired by a National Geographic article about jellyfish.; The cruise ship Argonautica is an original design created by computer-generated imagery.; The film was originally set for release in the fall of 1997 but was delayed.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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