Search - Dark Waters on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 1/17/2024...

A perfect example of why Lorenzo Lamas's movie career tanked!

Grade A Cheese!

Joshua Koppel | Chicago, IL United States | 04/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Others have compared this film to Deep Blue Sea. That is slightly true in that there are several smart (well, trained, at least) sharks in this movie. But it also borrows heavily from Shark Hunter (under water installation destroyed by sharks, down-on-luck scientist has super research sub, people smoke in rarefied environments, etc.).In this movie we have a young scientist who is raising fake funds for an Atlantis mission, worries that he didn't sell enough books to cover the cost of the press conference, but owns a billion-dollar sub. After being taken in by some seductive decoys, he is convinced to look into the destruction of an undersea base (located under a drilling platform). The investigation takes his sub to its depth limit. Enter coordinated shark attack.Soon, ala James Bond, said scientist finds himself aboard a secret sub where they have been developing the attack sharks for the past 20 years. He and his sidekick (a brainy, busty, oceanographer) baffle the crew with bluster before having to run for their lives. Eventually we get to a cheesy ending involving reunited families, amazing discoveries, and credibility thrown out the window.There are some odd bits to this film. One is the offshore drilling platform. At what should be where the shaft meets the seabed, there is an installation that looks like an underwater city (mistake or unexplained secret base? My guess is the film makers didn't know anything about offshore drilling). There is also the shark tank. It is in the floor of the research lab with open water. It also extends up in front of the lab so than an impressive window can be opened into it. I shudder to think of the air pressure required to pull off this feat.Still, there are some nifty shark attacks, a dead whale, cool subs, one of the stupidest rescues ever (it involves a raft and you have to see it to believe it), evil military, atoning scientists, a brainy busty oceanographer, and an amazing discovery. Grade A cheese!"

Simmone Jade MacKinnon ... Nuff said.

Fiendish Fictions | Cincinnati, Ohio | 10/02/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"B Movies are meant to be "guilty pleasure" movies ... watched to satisfy those urges, instincts and desires that we're not always ready to admit to openly in public. Featuring various combinations of babe lust, wonton carnage, savage (or not so savage) brutality, far out locations, techno-junky-ism, monsters, weapon fetishes, space ships, mutants, armored vehicles and more babe lust, they come in Horror, Monster, Sci-Fi, Girly and many other sub-varieties. My reviews of such movies take this intentional "guilty pleasure" aspect into account and are written for people who enjoy either watching or making fun of this sort of entertainment at least some of the time. If you're looking for more than this from a B-movie ... (though it does happen occassionally), then you're not as smart as you think you are.

THIS movie probably wouldn't have held my attention for very long if it was just another "scary" shark movie, as my personal monster preferences don't focus on sharks. But Simmone MacKinnon is one of my all time favorite busty, Australian red heads. YEOUCH! Plot, script, production values ... who cares. If SJM is on screen (wearing bikini's and snug outfits that are more often wet than not) ... I'm game. Shallow, predictable, libidinous ... you bet. Life doesn't always have to be deep and thoughtful ... sometimes it can just be an experience of guilty pleasure. If you don't get that sort of thing ... well ... then WHY on EARTH were you watching THIS movie? : )"

Expectations Met

K. Fontenot | The Bayou State | 06/21/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I wasn't planning on seeing an earth-shattering motion picture when I turned on "Dark Waters." In fact, I was expecting to become bored about half-way through this flick. Surprising to me, "Dark Waters" is actually a very good movie that suffers only from a lack of production funds and a modest script. In short, it's a well above-average B-flick that is sure to satisfy even the stingiest and hard-nosed critic if they accept it for what it is.

It held my attention for its duration. It doesn't get too completely outlandish, so far as the limits of a good B-flick are concerned. Lorenzo Lamas is solid as the dashing hero of the film, and his supporting cast does well. The sharks in this film aren't really the focus. In fact, they are only around for brief flashes in the film, most notably when the trio of heroes dive into the realm of the sharks to escape their captors. It's one of the most tense moments in the movie.

If you're looking for a good film that doesn't quite measure up to movies like "Deep Blue Sea" and "Jaws," but is somewhat more entertaining than flicks like "Project Viper" and "Sabretooth," I'm sure "Dark Waters" will suffice.

Recommended to fans of SciFi Channel movies that are above average when compared to most SciFi pictures."