Search - Ghost Rig on DVD

Why Do I Like This? Beats Me

Jeffrey Leach | Omaha, NE USA | 07/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I saw a movie blatantly attempting to cash in on the questionable success of "Ghost Ship," I knew I needed to sit up and pay attention. "Ghost Rig," originally entitled "The Devil's Tattoo," (a title they should have stuck with considering how much more sense it makes) is a Scottish straight to video production made by people who obviously knew nothing about how cheesy "Ghost Ship" was. I went into this one fully expecting to hate it with a passion. They replaced a ship with an oilrig? Big deal! If they relied on the spirits of dead oilrig workers to scare the audience, "Ghost Rig" would be little better than "Ghost Ship." That was my first mistake because this movie is decidedly different from "Ghost Ship." Even more surprising, and this is surprising, is that I actually liked "Ghost Rig." I know, I know. I don't understand how it happened either. The plot of "Ghost Rig" is simplicity itself. Ten environmental activists calling themselves Action Planet take over an abandon oilrig named Janus. The owners of the rig plan on demolishing the thing and letting it fall to the bottom of the sea where it will slowly become a reef. Action Planet wants to stop this egregious action, claiming that this plan will cause more damage to the ecological cycle of the sea. The activists fly in on a chopper with the notion of squatting on the rig, thereby forcing the authorities to pay attention to their demands. We know this because members of the group film several video segments of themselves on the platform, planning to release the tapes to the media and hopefully gain supporters amongst the general public. Unfortunately (and there is always an 'unfortunately'), the weirdness begins quickly with the discovery that the rig's maintenance crew has mysteriously disappeared. The only possible clue is a damaged power generator, a problem overcome when the activists fire up a backup to get some of the lights working. Then the madness starts, as one by one the activists fall prey to something decidedly not of this world. The characters soon learn that they can trust no one as they race through the bowels of the rig in an effort to discover exactly what is going on.The actors playing the characters are mostly nobodies, with the exception of Jamie Bamber who apparently acted in a few Horatio Hornblower television movies. The characters are the usual mixed bag: three slightly cute chicks, a guy in a wheelchair, the unstable leader, the guy who ends up taking charge of things, and one dude who looks like Moby with a nervous condition. Most of them die in mundane ways for a horror movie, with a few stabbings, a strangulation, and gunshot wounds. I cannot say I cared for any of the characters, but I didn't hate them either. That's important because in "Ghost Ship" I despised every character with the heat of a million suns. I guess I liked the thick Scottish and English accents the characters had, especially with the girls. There's nothing like a young woman with a Scottish brogue, is there? Anyway, I couldn't even tell you most of their names. It doesn't matter anyway because most of them die fast.Since I liked the film for some inexplicable reason, I didn't notice as many plot holes as I would in other B movie extravaganzas. There are a few, though, and it's immensely entertaining to laugh over them:The team leader brings a gun on board, which infuriates the other members of the group. Why? Did they really think that the authorities wouldn't storm the rig armed to the teeth once they became aware of the group's actions? Didn't it occur to Action Planet that the maintenance crew on board might put up resistance? Why does a gun bother these people so much when it is obvious some of them have serious psychological issues in the first place? One of the women beats the tar out of another member after discovering he's up to no good. These people are not paragons of social virtue and it seems ridiculous they have a problem with weapons. The presence of spears later underlines this fact.How did Action Planet fix the radio? One of the possessed team members shattered the transmitter with a hammer, but it only takes a short time to get the thing up and running. Why did they need to fix the radio in the first place? Wouldn't there be a back up system somewhere on the rig? It is impossible to believe a radio is the only communications system on the platform in the first place. Wouldn?t there be some sort of satellite communications system as well?Where in the heck did all those spears come from? It's like a magic trick; every time you turn around someone has another spear. They look homemade too, with a knife taped and imbedded in a stick. When exactly did they make these things? And this from people who have moral issues with firearms? Doesn't it present more of a moral hurdle to stab someone to death rather than shooting them from a distance? C'mon!These three things are only a few of the plot problems in "Ghost Rig." As I said, I liked the film, thought the background music was atmospheric, liked the twisty conclusion, and the indifference I felt for the characters didn't cause too many problems. I am hesitant to recommend this film, though. Just imagine "The Thing" with a brogue and make your own decision."

Pleasantly surprised

Jeffrey Leach | 07/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD on recommendation by a friend who'd seen it in the UK and I was happy to find it over here in the States. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by this film given I had not heard about it prior. The bunch of characters had good depth and the cinematography was well done. All in all, it is a welcomed addition to my collection of horror movies."

Exceeded My Low Expectations

Jeffrey Leach | 12/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nothing original; not an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but I actually liked Ghost Rig in large part due to the unpredictable twist of an ending. After expecting a mindless afternoon of watching a "shouldn't have rented", I got instead a "not too bad at all.""