justahunch-70549

1980's sci-fi produced some doozies. This isn't one of them as it's a bit better than the usual schlock from this decade, though of course not all of it was bad, It's impossible not to be reminded of the great Alien with an underwater theme instead of outer space. The cast is typical of this era. Peter Weller is okay, Richard Crenna is wooden, Meg Foster gives one of her usual creepy performances. Those eyes! Everybody else does what they're supposed to do. The production isn't bad, but we witness very little of the underwater alien. This is nothing special.

If you are looking for excitement, don't look here. This well made apocalyptic film is very slow moving as life probably would be if you were the last person alive on Earth and that is what this film is about. I truly expected this to be a piece of junk, but it is more than that, though there are quite a few issues. Through near constant narration we learn we are told that first there was a pandemic that killed billions followed by a war that killed the rest. Later we hear about what sounds like an alien invasion. Perhaps that is who the war was with?! It is never made clear. The narration itself could also be a bit better, but cinematography is quite good and the acting by the lead, Natalia Reyes, is very strong much of the time. It's a hard role to pull off being the only person on screen, though later joined by a German Shepard. It's about a solitary life among the ruins leaving us with just her and the dog. There is an enormous question hanging over this that is never answered. Why only her? What makes her so special? I did really like the last scene which implies that this is the beginning of a new world.

Okay tale of cops and criminals going at each other as the latter wants to get their hands on a witness to one of their crimes. Catch is the witness is deaf and the bigger catch is that the cop who finds her first is also deaf, or going deaf. They are trapped in a shutting down old apartment building trying through all means to evade the criminals. There are many floors and many apartments for both sides to to check on or escape in. As a lover of confined settings, I thought I'd appreciate it more, but while not bad, it's nothing at all special Joel Kinnaman Is the good cop with the bad ears and he is good as is an actress I don't believe I've seen before, Sandra Mae Frank who is deaf in real life. The talented Mekhi Phifer is pretty authentic as the main heavy and Mark Strong is in a poor and very predictable role. Not bad, but minor.