Kind of forgotten in the wake of James Cameron’s The Abyss, Leviathan is an OK if not uneven sci-fi adventure. The cast is good and some of the creature effects aren’t bad either, but at the same time it comes across as a rip-off of Alien sans suspense and compelling storytelling.
Leviathan
(1989)
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Horror, Suspense/Thriller
Shout Factory | R – 98 min. – $24.97 | August 19, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: George P. Cosmatos Writer(s): David Peoples (story), David Peoples and Jeb Stuart (screenplay) Cast: Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Amanda Pays, Daniel Stern, Ernie Hudson DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 1.0) |
PLOT SUMMARY
On the dark and forbidding ocean floor, the crew of a deep-sea mission rig discovers a sunken freighter that harbors a deadly secret: a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. With a storm raging on the surface and no hope of rescue, the captain (PETER WELLER) and his team (including DANIEL STERN, ERNIE HUDSON, RICHARD CRENNA and AMANDA PAYS) are propelled into a spine-tingling battle for survival against the ultimate for – a hideous monster that cannot die…and lives to kill!
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5
Leviathan: Monster Melting Pot (40:26; HD) is a well-made retrospective featurette with new interviews with those in the creature effects industry who worked with Stan Winston.
Dissecting Cobb (12:35; HD) is an interview with the Hector Elizondo on his time on the project and his character.
Surviving Leviathan (15:02; HD) gets the thoughts and recollections from Ernie Hudson.
Theatrical Trailer (1:51; HD)
VIDEO – 4.0/5
Shout Factory (under their Scream Factory line) releases Leviathan arrives on Blu-ray presented with a 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. Considering some of the shots, especially “underwater” were filmed on a stage and utilized a blue filter, those don’t look the best but once inside, colors are nice and bright, detail levels fairly sharp and nary a sign of compression, artifacting or pixilation. It also doesn’t appear edge enhancement done on the transfer.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The movie comes with two tracks, a 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks and each offers something different. The 5.1 channel one, for instance, is a bit more dynamic spreading the audio across each channel providing ambient noises through the front and rear speakers and keeping the dialogue through the center, but is a bit downplayed and quieter. However, the 2.0 track seems to be in keeping with the original source and this one you have clearer and crisper dialogue.
OVERALL – 3.25/5
Overall, kind of forgotten in the wake of James Cameron’s The Abyss, Leviathan is an OK if not uneven sci-fi adventure. The cast is good and some of the creature effects aren’t bad either, but at the same time it comes across as a rip-off of Alien sans suspense and compelling storytelling. Still, it’s not a complete bore yet this is not something I’d revisit any time soon…
Published: 08/26/2014