Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Wordiezett So much average

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Leofwine_draca I found BELOW to be an engaging if predictable haunted submarine thriller director by the Australian David Twohy, who was also responsible for the similarly good PITCH BLACK. Both films share stylistic similarities (a trapped cast at the mercy of an unknown killer enemy) but in the end PITCH BLACK has the edge, thanks to the originality and scope of the far-reaching plot. BELOW is more mundane, but not without merit, and it works best as a mood piece rather than a thriller.The star of the show is Olivia Williams (MISS AUSTEN REGRETS), who along with Dexter Fletcher narrowly escapes the torpedoing of their hospital ship during WWII. They take refuge on a US submarine piloted by all manner of familiar and welcome faces (Bruce Greenwood, Nick Chinlund, Jason Flemyng, to name but a few). Pretty soon, weird things start happening (stuff turns on of its own accord and the crew are surrounded by weird apparitions and noises) and then people start dying. It's the kind of stuff we've seen a million times from Hollywood, but straight away the submarine setting had me hooked: I always enjoy the natural claustrophobia that's evoked in these kinds of settings, and it's no exception here. It would be hard to make a film that WASN'T atmospheric and suspenseful on board a submarine.The quality of the script is pretty good, and for a change the acting matches the written dialogue. At least most characters are fleshed out, rather than being one dimensional stereotypes. The film is augmented by some effective CGI work and despite some plot inconsistencies I had a ball with it.

MalcolmSouter So, should you give up a couple of hours and watch this film. If you're one of those people that are happy to chat with everyone around you while watching films or laugh at parts that are meant to be touching or scary, then no. (Okay, don't get me started on that.) If not, you'll enjoy this film, you'll enjoy the acting and you'll enjoy the atmosphere and the tension. I think the 6.? score is to be honest down to people who'd rather watch a documentary on WW II. Yes the submarine seems a bit roomy at times but that doesn't spoil the drama for me. As for the plot, without giving anything away, the sin at the heart of the story grows larger and darker. I won't say any more, just that you'll see some good actors here that have popped up and become more famous 10 years after this film.

Spikeopath Below is directed by David Twohy and C0-written by Lucas Sussman, Twohy and Darren Aronofsky. It stars Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany, Scott Foley, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Flemyng, Nick Chinlund & Dexter Fletcher.1943 and The USS Tiger Shark submarine is patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. After taking on board three survivors of a wreckage and a battle with a German warship, mysterious things start to happen on board the sub....It wouldn't be the first or last time that they did it, but Dimension Films failed to support a rather good horror film in their care. Coming a few months after Harrison Ford submarine thriller K-19: The Widowmaker sank without grace, Below was barely given a release or publicity junket to give it a chance. Which considering that $40 million was given to produce it comes off as mighty strange. More so when one looks at the credentials on offer. A cast featuring fine character actors from Britain & America, directed by the man who was hot from the popular Pitch Black and a certain Darren Aronofsky involved in the writing. OK, so admittedly a haunted submarine premise on the surface doesn't sound too demanding on the cerebral front, but this is much more than an underwater spooker.Below gets all the key ingredients right for such a genre production. It's intensively tight in claustrophobic atmosphere, creepy in narrative, adroit with the kill dispatches and crucially pays off with the big reveal. It also has some great underwater sequences to sample as the cast do justice to the smart script. True it's a little derivative of similar themed film's like The Keep, The Bunker et all, but what it lacks in freshness it more than makes up for in slick story telling. Also of note is that Twohy and his co-writers are aware enough to know that their story has to be a bit more than just another Rod Serlingesque tale. At the hour mark the characters even bring this into play with a wonderful discussion that richly subverts our expectations of where we are going with this movie.With its metallic blue tints (Ian Wilson on cinematography) aiding the feel of submarine life, we the audience are thrust into the confines of sub life as well. This really is a film that asks us to turn off the lights, switch the phone off and invest your very being into the story. Be part of this crew and the rewards are there to be had for the ghostly movie seeker. Cast wise Greenwood is classy as usual, and Williams refuses to let her character be the token it could have been. In support it's always good to see Chinlund & Flemyng performing, while Galifianakis delivers the goods in the colourful part.With visual smarts and a knowing sense of dread, Twohy's film is on the money. It may not be breaking new ground in the genre it sits in, but it's certainly one of the better told, and produced, of said genre stories. 7.5/10

moviesleuth2 I am at a loss for what to rate "Below." It does what many horror/thrillers fail to do: generate suspense and general creepiness. On the other hand, it makes absolutely no sense.This is a ghost story (although the horror elements are inadequately melded onto the "U-571" ripoff story). The USS Tiger Shark has located a sunken British hospital vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. The submarine takes in 3 survivors, including a woman named Claire (Olivia Williams). The addition of a woman on board makes a lot of the men nervous because of naval superstitions of having a woman on board a navy ship being unlucky. Indeed, mysterious things start happening, and the body count begins to rise, Claire and another sailor, Odell (Matthew Davis) begin to think that the ship is cursed.The story is not that complicated, but by trying to play with our minds and making us wonder if we saw what we thought we did, director David Twohy goes into Paul McGuigan territory: presenting key elements of the story with extraordinary subtlety and filler with the impact of an atom bomb. Needless to say, this is not the way to tell any story, much less a ghost story.The acting is surprisingly effective. Matthew Davis has been previously relegated to supporting roles in dumb teen flicks, but he handles a headlining role with ease. Bruce Greenwood is terrific as always (even in the worst roles, Greenwood still manages to impress). Olivia Williams adds a dose of class to the proceedings, and she never goes over-the-top when she gets scared. "Hangover" fans will delight in seeing the star of that movie, Zach Galifianakis, in an early role here (and still acting just as weird).I'm tempted to recommend the film solely on the basis that it gave me the creeps but by the end of the film I was so frustrated and lost that it didn't work for me anymore. It's a huge mess, but it's a creepy mess.