Viaje fantasma

This movie is about 7 strangers who mysteriously 'wake up' on a salvage ship out in the middle of nowhere with no idea of how they got there. Of course, they want off and, equally obvious, it's just not going to be that easy. This movie takes off a bit slow but maintains a decent flow that keeps you watching till the very end just to see how it turns out. It's a bit (quite a bit) predictable but still worthy of holding the viewers interest. It has a bit of a 'Saw' premise with a 'long, lost ghost ship' attitude. Antonio Sabato Jr. is still a good actor (I loved him in Earth 2, the series), I just wonder why he's not doing his thing in bigger movies. Another good actor in this movie is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, he's been in quite a few movies (The Last Emporer, Mortal Kombat and Memoirs of a Geisha) and he's always interesting to watch...unfortunately his role in this movie is minimal although pivotal. If you're looking for something to kill the time then this movie is for you. Don't expect fireworks but you can prepare to be entertained or, at least, occupied for a while.

The opening with a group of strangers awakening to find themselves aboard an old broken down cargo vessel is sufficiently eerie enough, and the oddball spectre-like "steward" who gives the confused passengers a list of ship rules is menacing. None of them knows how they got there, or why.

It's not a bad premise, sort of a Twilight Zone approach. The movie at first looks like it's going to rip off "Death Ship" and some others, but actually finds its own direction. It manages to present the mystery of what is going on, who is behind it, etc. It avoids giving up too much information too soon and guides the audience along with well-timed expository dialog and some weird discoveries aboard the spooky vessel. It throws in some ghost-like apparitions, ancient ritualistic behavior, and a "test" which is graded coldly and positively. Not bad stuff, really.

But the longer the movie goes on, the weaker it gets. Many characters are so cliché and obviously marked for unpleasant fates, that it's laughable. Some of the special effects look like they were done with an Etch-a-Sketch toy. Most of the cast (fortunately those who make early exits) act at about the kindergarten play level. However, the longer-lasting people act better; and their characters have some dimension. The resolution actually shows some thought was put into it.

A decent flick for a rainy weekend afternoon.

Film stars Antonio Sabato Jr with an ensemble of characters who all mysteriously wake up on a ship with no idea how they got there. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa mysteriously appears as the steward who gives the rules. Horror ensues for the crew members as they learn why they are on the only passengers on this mysterious voyage. Very Stereotypical casting with Sabato as the eventual leader, Russo as the strong female lead, Berlin as the bombshell and the male supporting as either thugs, arrogant son of a wealthy family, sort of a middle age type and the youngster who has drug problems. Poor to average CGI and poor to average acting performance mar this film

Underwear model Antonio Sabato Jr. stars as one of a group of disoriented stereotypes...er....passengers who awaken aboard a strange cargo ship in the middle of the ocean with no recollection of how they got there or where the ship is heading. Gosh, who is that strange Asian steward quoting strange rules to them? Where are they going? Where could the rest of the crew be? Why do they keep disappearing one by one? Odd advertising for this one, though. It indicates that 7 people awaken on the ship, when there are actually 9 (at the start, anyway). A few good scares, but the ending is telegraphed a mile away. Not the worst of the Sci-Fi Channel movies of the week, but certainly not the best.

"You don't have a clue what's going on here, do you?" our heroine is heard to ask at one point during this floating "Sci Fi Original" slapped-together crap of a movie. A better question is, who cares? Nine strangers wake up aboard a colossal cargo ship in stormy seas finding no one else aboard but an Asian steward who prepares them for their strange voyage with a list of ship "rules". Naturally, we soon see the price of transgression as each thinly-drawn passenger in their own own way steps over the line and is stalked by seemingly random ghosties (all without being properly introduced). By the time the purpose of all this familiar and predictable spectral terror has been revealed the viewer should be struggling mightily not to start surfing from this aquatic embarrassment to another channel.

The eerie interiors are the best part of this movie for me, though a lot of them look more like they belong to a submarine than a cargo ship. The plot is as old as seafaring history and the dialog could have been written in an internet chat room. The characters aren't clearly motivated for a second and every other actor is saddled with an atrocious accent for no apparent reason. The performances range from listless to laughable but that's hardly worth mentioning since these actors have clearly been punished enough by having to read those horrifically infantile lines.

A few trolls might take some amusement from the sheer amateur ineptitude of this movie but I can't honestly recommend it to horror enthusiasts or even horror-at-sea completests. DIVE DIVE DIVE!