Sea Fever

This is a suspense film for adults. No big battles with a mysterious sea creature, just a plausible story with realistic characters. The pace is slow and moody, so this may not be for everyone, but I thought it was well written, with good performances and a creepy atmosphere. The visual effects are subtle but effective. The performances are raw and real. The film even takes the time to explain some ancient ocean lore and blends it into the story.

If you are seeking thrills and jump scares, this is not for you. If you enjoy a good story, told with style and thought, you will appreciate this film.

The creators obviously set out to make a movie similar to Alien or The Thing, but centered around a thoughtful scientist instead of an action hero. The result is a slow burn that stands far above similar sci-fi movies but the pacing may not be for everyone. Ultimately I enjoyed the movie but have mixed feeling about the ending. A spoiler free way to put it would be this: not how I would have done it, but true to the character and I'll give points for consistency.

It's basically a dull Alien ripoff but without a great monster, lifeless forgettable characters, etc. If you've seen the original Alien or any of the knockoffs, you've seen this a million times. The ending is interesting but getting there is tough. The stakes never feel real. The danger doesn't feel immediate. It isn't exciting. You can easily read what will happen far in advance so you're just sitting there, watching it go through all too familiar beats. It's like Harbinger Down but both are pretty weak imitations of better films. Sorry I was really hoping this would be good.

Horror at sea - it's a theme that I always crave, as well as creature features, eco horrors and lovecraftian vibes. Luckily, "Sea Fever" happens to be a bit of all that. There's no denying I had high hopes and some certain expectations which resulted in a bonus side dish of underwhelment, well, whether because of that or the actual flawed nature of "Sea Fever", for it might be a bit better in concept than execution.

A quiet, shy but clever science student Siobhan (Hermione Corfield) is put on a fishing boat to do a marine research assignment, and takes a turn in journey to becoming a heroine as the crew encounter a mysterious and threating sea creature. Very quickly into the movie the viewer can rest assured he's in for a good-looking sea adventure, for it is aesthetically well executed via solid cinematography and subtly beautiful production design and cgi. The boat carries 7 passengers, all of which are painted neatly and realistically, albeit typically. As time passes, a wish for more innovative characters inside such a situation surfaces, eventually the fates of some miss the emotional hit it intends to have. Nevertheless, the cast certainly does a good job, my personal favorite being Ardalan Esmaili.

The first act is the one that, near the end of it, delivers some lovecraftian vibes, as the gooey, tentacly creature comes up from the depths of the sea. From here on, "Sea Fever" makes it known it's not exactly a classic creature feature & becomes more of an eco horror, with some key themes coincidentally very relevant to the current time of an pandemic - our main heroine has to fight for the right decisions in an event of infection and a need for quarantine. The underwhelment distills from the fact that "Sea Fever", during the better part of the second and third acts, struggles to maintain tension and frequently loses the effect of its atmosphere, in process making the pacing uneven and punches - lesser. As far as a fever goes, it doesn't quite manage to rise your temperature that high.

"Sea Fever" doesn't hide its influences & John Carpenter would probably be pretty happy, because, despite all, it stands very much on its own, a smart and handsome thriller that couldn't escape the fate of some bugging flaws. My rating: 6/10

I usually don't pay any attention to the favorable quotes and exaggerated comparisons to classic films that are often conspicuously printed on DVD-covers, but in case of "Sea Fever" I read one that is fairly accurate. The box proudly exclaims that it's "Cabin Fever" meets "The Thing", and you know what? That description honestly isn't too far off. Obviously the two well-known films are still a lot better, especially "The Thing", but in terms of plot, type of horror monster, and atmosphere "Sea Fever" definitely plays in the same league.

When a deeply superstitious and financially struggling Irish fishermen crew heads into a forbidden zone for fishing, a strange creature suddenly attaches itself to their boat and leaves behind a strange substance. Before the timid and introvert biology student Siobhán can run a proper analysis, crew members are falling ill, and tension aboard starts rising. "Sea Fever" is not a very fast-paced or highly spectacular horror/thriller, but benefices greatly from its thoroughly grim and uncanny atmosphere. The cheap and ramshackle looking fishing boat, in combination with the sober casting and genuine Irish accents, also gives the film a very authentic and persuasive look and feel. The gorgeous Hermione Corfield is excellent as the student outcast amidst a group of diehard fishermen (and fisherwomen!), and writer/director Nessa Hardiman makes very good use of the claustrophobic locations and suffocating ambiance. Of course, I also hoped for the film to contain a bit more action and blood/gore, and the ending is a too bleak and more dramatic than necessary. Nonetheless, a worthwhile film to check out.