Lords of the Deep (1989)

Release Date - April 21, 1989

Synopsis:

In the future the crew of an underwater laboratory encounter a race of aliens living in the depths of Earth’s oceans.

Directed by - Mary Ann Fisher

Written by - Howard R. Cohen and Daryl Haney

Produced by - Roger Corman

Cinematography - Austin McKinney

Music by - Jim Berenholtz

Distribution Company - Concorde Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Cast:

Bradford Dillman - Commander Stuart Dobler

Priscilla Barnes - Dr. Claire McDowell

Daryl Haney - Jack O'Neill

Melody Ryane - Dr. Barbara Stottelmyre

Eb Lottimer - Thomas Seaver

Stephen Davies - Robert Fernandez

Gregory Sobeck - Stanley Engel

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Run Time - 1 hr. 18 min. Rated - PG-13

Budget - Unknown Gross - Unknown

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Review:

One of several aquatic horror films released in 1989, Lords of the Deep, produced by Roger Corman, brings little of interest to the proceedings. The film was obviously done on a very low-budget as the set consists of just a few rooms and it is a very contained story with only seven or eight characters, most of whom are missing from much of the film. The acting from the entire cast is mediocre at best, mostly comprised of unknowns. Even Bradford Dillman and Priscilla Barnes who had some name recognition seem disinterested here. The underwater cinematography and special effects look pretty good as do the few shots of space that we see in the film, but the creature effects are pretty poor. The film lacks any real suspense and the story is rather dull and plodding and by the time you realize the intentions of the aliens you just feel like the rest of the film is filling up the runtime, which is pretty meager at only 78 minutes. The finale doesn’t provide any thrills either, we get a preachy environmental message and the credits roll. While this isn’t the worst of the five underwater terror pictures released in 1989, it’s still a pretty unmemorable movie.

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My Score: 52

Plot - 5 Cinematography - 6

Attraction - 5 Editing & Special Effects - 6

Theme - 4 Sound & Music - 4

Acting - 5 Directing - 6

Dialogue - 5 Enjoyability – 6

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Trivia:

• Most of the characters in the film were named after members of the New York Mets baseball team.

• One of five aquatic horror/sci-fi films released in 1989: The Abyss, Leviathan, DeepStar Six, The Evil Below and Lords of the Deep. The Rift was filmed in 1989 but not released until 1990.

• Producer Roger Corman has a cameo in the film as the Corporate Executive speaking with Bradford Dillman’s character in two scenes. Corman was uncredited.

• Roger Corman later reused all of the underwater shots for the movie Unknown Origin (also known as The Alien Within) in 1994.

• Oscar-winner Robert Skotak and his brother Dennis Skotak did the effects for the film. When asked why they worked on such a low-budget film Robert declared it was a paycheck and working on a Roger Corman film often meant you got to work with actors who were on their way up or on their way down. Robert Skotak had won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for his work on Aliens (1986). He later won a second Oscar for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) while Dennis would win an Oscar for his work on The Abyss (1989).
  

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Availability:

• VHS

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Watched in October, 2021