M.A.L. : Mutant aquatique en liberté

the first 30 minutes of this movie are fairly boring,with not much happening.the film begins to pick up after that.it's basically Alien underwater,though nowhere near as good as that movie.the characters are not as complex,nor is the storyline.it's a B movie,in every respect.when the creature is finally revealed,it's a disappointment.at least i thought it was.unlike Alien,where you get to know the characters,here you really don't,so there's nothing invested in their fates.when they died,the only reaction i could come up with was a yawn.they're all underwritten.the movie is also predictable from the get go.still,it's not the worst movie of the genre,so i give DeepStar Six a 5/10

Okay, it's no The Abyss or anything, but for a knock-off of a knock-off, it's pretty damn decent.

The effects, though pretty low budget, are nonetheless well done. The creature design is pretty cool. The characters are likeable and well-written enough to keep me invested in what was happening.

It's no game changer to be sure, but if you're looking for some b-movie monster fun, you could certainly do much worse than this.

"DeepStar Six" is just another "Alien" clone, to be ranked with all "Alien" clones as just another time waster. This might be what it deserves, however, it can be noted as a few notches above other "Alien" clones for its excellent cast, which, even when the story and writing become pretty silly, sticks to it and keeps things running smoothly. The characters are pretty convincing as well, epecially for such low standards as this. And while most of the film is talkly and uneventful, I will proudly state that the last half hour are great and very tension-filled. I was very pleased with the climax, and even the monster was acceptable. If the whole film had been as surprising as gripping as the last half-hour, this might have been the greatest "Alien" clone around. Instead, it's just a pretty good, low-budget flick that's worth watching once or twice if it comes on cable.

**1/2 out of ****

Some arrive while others leave an American underwater platform. It's a mixed use facility where the military is setting up nuclear missiles and civilians are experimenting on long-term colonization. A cavern under the missile site is found but something more is uncovered.

Director Sean S. Cunningham's claim to fame is making the first Friday the 13th. This isn't breaking any new ground as much as following a temporary trend in underwater adventures. This pales in comparison to some of its competitors. The actors are second tier character actors. They do functional work but the characterizations are mostly nondescript. Other than an annoying coward played by Miguel Ferrer, the characters need better definition. At the very least, the military personnel need to be wearing uniforms and acting in a more strict manner. The special effects are mostly miniature work. The setting design looks like B-movie leftovers. I'm almost certain that I saw this back in the day but it's pretty much forgotten until I watched it again recently. This is a monster movie where the monster is rarely seen. It's an hour before there's a glimpse of the beast. There is a question of logic about launching missiles from the ocean floor. All of it adds to a lesser underwater adventure.

Yes, this movie isn't that awful. It does have some questionable physics, and a whole bunch of plot holes. It even has some bad actors! But in the end, it keeps going well enough to maintain interest, albeit sometimes only to see what foolishness comes up next.

The main star (I guess) is Greg Evigan, of BJ and the Bear fame. He doesn't have a chimp side-kick here, though. In fact, there are a whole bunch of people who filmgoers will recognise, if not be able to put a name to. But the real star is Miguel Ferrer, who has a kind of Hudson-from-Aliens role. He gets increasingly manic as the film progresses until he finally loses it totally. The movie is worth watching for him alone!

The plot is the usual "science tampering with nature" deal and the ensuing onslaught of nature on science. Nothing remarkable. Nothing that isn't predictable. The creature, however, is refreshingly different and done well enough with the effects of the day to not look pathetic in this age of CGI.

As I mentioned, there are some dodgy plot holes and physics, but the movie entertains enough that you can overlook them (for the most part) and just enjoy it.

All in all a film worth a look in on a quiet day.