Deep Core

When I saw this flick on a compilation DVD containing two flicks for a few cent I picked it up because I recognized a well known face from the horror genre. Craig Sheffer I do know from Nightbreed. But looking a bit closer I saw another face, this time female that I knew from Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, namely Tery Farrell, she was even seen in the still unavailable The Deliberate Stranger (1986).

So far so good but that's were the good things stopped. This flick has nothing to do with horror. This is just a B-flick with very terrible CGI. But somehow I kept watching what would happen. So it's not a movie that you will hate but also not one to remember. The acting wasn't that convincing and the story wasn't one to cheer. This could be if it was made in the seventies one of those flicks that would be shown at a drive-in. So I think that you know what I mean. The ones with stupid plots and goofy lines. Maybe one to see on a rainy afternoon.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5 Story

Brian Goodman (Craig Sheffer) is a scientist specialized in drilling operations. He aborts a dangerous perforation, leaded by Alan Morrisey (Harry Van Gorkun) and Darryl Simmons (James Russo) and destroys the whole project and facilities. A few years later, he is working with his friends Sam Dalton (Bruce McGill) and Rodney Bedecker (Wil Wheaton, from Star Trek), when he detects an abnormal movement of the tectonic plates, provoked by Alan's new enterprise. Brian meets Alan, and together with Allison Saunders (Terry Farrel), a highly graduated scientist from MIT, try to stop the movement of underground layers of Earth. This flick is awful: very predictable and full of clichés. The characters are badly developed, the story is horrible and it does not work. The best part is the ironical dialog of a married couple, asking for information in a road bar. The Brazilian distributors called it `Catastrophe', maybe a hint regarding the terrible quality of this film. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): `Catástrofe' (`Catastrophe')

The same flaming digital f/x repeated over and over during the credits hints that there's something wrong with this film. However, if you ignore that warning and continue to watch, all sort of evils will escape from this Pandora's box: a machine that allegedly blows up but only showers sparks like a sparkler; hand-held camera shots with that home-movie look; a cliche villain/capitalist; the cliche battle between the scientist sexes; a brief earthquake scene of a city (looks like a postcard) wherein one tall building starts to crumble like a jigsaw puzzle; an odd puffy-faced (like he just had his wisdom teeth removed) twenty-something Whil Wheaton making a joke about his ex-wife...This is no modern "Crack in the world," no hidden diamond in the rough but a depressing clunker. On the positive side, it makes you appreciate aspects and techniques of good movies you took for granted or weren't aware of.

I guess this is a good movie to watch in the cinema, though only if you have someone to talk to (or more). Take an early show and bring popcorn. The best part of the movie is the shot after the movies is over, where this guy sings "I guess you're not here about the noise" - so make sure you stay untill the very end.

I just want to add my voice to the critics and say, yes this movie is REALLY bad.

It has no suspense to speak of except where the characters start pretending to be serious. No link to reality, what in the world qualifies some oil fire fighters to run cutting edge equipment other than they're the inventor's drinking buddies. THESE guys are going to set off nukes to save the world? No wonder it's about to end.

As for casting, I think the only criteria was who was unemployed when it came time to shoot. Personally though I have to say I did like the Wil Wheaton Molten Shower scene.