Talking about movies released in the late 90’s is like being in the 80’s and referencing entertainment from 1960. It’s deeply weird.
We’re too serious. It’s easier to give into doomscrolling and the belief that everything is bad in life, or at least getting worse, than it is to have fun.
However, in the interests of having fun, I’m encouraging you to check out the following double feature. It’s a monster movie b-grade action twinset, featuring the word ‘deep’, but the movies are anything but deep. They are fun. Because we need fun.
True story: I saw both movies for the first time, on the same day. VHS. It was random. And it was great.
Deep Rising (1998)
Ah squirrels, never board a cruise boat. You’d hate it. Especially when some kind of squid creature rises from the depths to attack you in the middle of the ocean.
But the funny thing about this flick is that you don’t really know it’s a monster movie for a while. It’s a story about a group of mercenaries set to take over a cruise liner for their own nefarious purpose. They have missiles and everything. Their vehicle is a weird super boat owned and operated by a loveable band of misfits led by the timeless Treat Williams. These misfits are not in on the caper. They’re just the help.
The cruise ship? There’s almost no one aboard when they get there. How come, they wonder? This was meant to be a caper flick! But now it’s something else. Hello Famke Janssen. What a dress! The quick transitions to Treat and Famke making fun of the sidekick… priceless. Once they discover some other intact passengers, bam! It’s a monster movie! Special effects were only so great in the late 90’s, but these work just fine. It’s scary. It’s gross. It’s all manner of epic, heroes and villains alike suddenly contending with a creature from the depths. I bet you’ve never seen a movie so deftly utilize jet skis and shotguns. Or make you more afraid of sitting on a toilet.
I’m a sucker for mashups. I’m a sucker for strong, memorable supporting characters. I love humour and cheesy music, and I love an ending that should have led to an immediate sequel. To this day, I am calling for a sequel. I want Deep Rising 2. Few movies need sequels, but this is one of them. Twenty-five years later, I’m still waiting, but in the meantime, this movie holds up to repeated viewings with remarkable ease.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Sometimes, you just have to get back in the water. Jaws started the shark movie phenomenon, and there have been many variants released in the time since, but how many feature genetically engineered sharks in a movie with Ice-T, Stellan Skarsgard, and Samuel L. Jackson? Only one that I know of.
From the beginning, you know the sharks are going to be the antagonists. They’re contained, controlled. But they’re also wicked smart. Enter a storm. A wayward helicopter. And let our deep-sea research institute start sinking, taking our heroes with it, as two enhanced mako sharks find a way to enter the flooded corridors.
You might have heard of this movie, but if not, I want to tell you about Samuel L. Jackson’s glory. He’s got a speech in this movie that is so powerful, and that ends in such an incredible crescendo, that it will be talked about for years to come. Something you have to see to believe.
And Saffron Burrows as the main researcher, with her complicated morality and her clear-eyed goals… I’ve never seen a character like this have a resolution so… bizarre. I just didn’t see that coming. That, plus Thomas Jane’s shark-wrangling heroism and the fact that (spoiler) a Black guy makes it to the end, drives a classic of not just the genre (the shark genre, I mean) but of action movies as a whole. This one actually did have sequels, and if you’re of a mind to check them out, skip the first sequel and go directly to the second. Trust me.
Double-Feature
I’ll suggest that you watch Deep Rising first, and then Deep Blue Sea. I think the aesthetic works best in that direction, easing the progression into full-blown monster mayhem. Make popcorn. Eat chocolate. Snuggle under a blanket, but no funny stuff. Be prepared to rewind a few times, because there are some scenes so over-the-top that you’ll need to watch them again. Once you’ve completed this deep double feature, please celebrate these old flicks with the rest of the world. We’re talking the late 90’s here, a forgotten time. A bygone era. The distant past. Ancient times. But you know what? They were fun. And sometimes, we need to have that in our lives.
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One Response
I haven’t seen either of those, I will have to check them out. Anything with Mr. Jackson is good. Well, not anything (e.g., the Star Wars prequels). But Mr. Jackson is always good. Well, not always (e.g., the Star Wars prequels). Outside of Star Wars prequels, which are hard for anyone to be good in, he’s very good.
How about The Abyss? It’s probably less “fun,” more serious, but a great movie with lots of deep ocean stuff, and a water monster or several.