This movie is an interesting blending of a gritty WWII submarine movie with a creepy ghost story. In short, while the sailors are dealing with the very real dangers of submarine warfare, they are also having to deal with the freaky stuff that is occuring on their boat. The haunting isn't doing them any favors while dodging depth charges, and the story is essentially a race to figure out how to bring some sense of normalcy back to an already dangerous voyage. Aronofsky does a pretty good job at creating some real suspense by slowly piecing out the reason for the haunting while trying to survive a warzone. Now, you will probably guess the 'big secret' that everyone is trying to uncover before the characters do, but they figure it out quickly enough that you won't be shaking your head at their stupidity. Frankly, there is so much crazy stuff going on in their little boat that they simply don't have time to sit back and figure it out!
The actors in this movie are well chosen, and their performances are convincing. The movie has a great look and feel - very claustrophobic and gritty. The movie is well-paced, and the story is interesting. In fact, there isn't a whole lot more you could really ask for in this kind of movie. But... it wasn't perfect. There is a missing element to the movie, although I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it. My gut tells me that it has something to do with the core motivation for the supernatural element in the movie; I don't know what makes a ghost tick, but something tells me, this isn't quite it. Or, at least, even if the ghost was justifiably honked off, I'm not sure that THIS would be his reaction. Further, perhaps its just that traditional superstitious nature of sailors, but I kind of felt as though this tough group of battle hardened sailors were just a little too quick to buy into the supernatural explanation -- even before it was undeniable.
With all of that in mind, this is still a good movie. If you're into The Hunt for Red October and horror films, then this one is definitely right up your alley. I enjoyed it and do recommend it.
Movie to Skip: The Condor
I don't want to be too harsh with this movie because it is clearly not meant for adult viewing. At best this is a Saturday morning cartoon quality flick with all the silliness and mediocre graphics to go with it. The cartoon/movie acts like it wants to be serious, but the characters are too 1-dimensional to be taken seriously. Everyone is a caricature, and the quality really isn't up to the rubber stamp that Stan Lee has plunked down on it. In short... you probably don't want to waste your time with it. Not the worst thing I've ever seen, but still a stinker.
