Alicia
I love this movie so much
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
karl-leofrsson
It is with deep regret that I see yet another brilliant SciFi series that was brutally axed by the powers that be, because it did not make the ratings. For more than forty years producers and studios have been making the same mistake. A decent SciFi series take a while to get going, and be appreciated. Let's face it, "Star Trek" was a flop the first time round, and was axed because it did not make the numbers, fortunately, it was given a second chance and a new life. "SeaQuest DSV" has not been so lucky, and along with "Crusade", "Space - Above & Beyond", "FarScape" and "Earth Star Voyager", lays broken and incomplete. The producers, directors and studios need to realise that SciFi is intellectual and projective, and will almost never be appreciated by the ratings majority, and these programmes need to treated as an investment in the future of entertainment. They need to be allowed to run and complete, and grow at their own pace. Oh yes, the only reason that I gave SeaQuest a rating of 9, rather than a perfect 10, was because of the discontinuity in the episodes. Particularly the sudden reappearance of Luetenent Brody, who was previously killed in action.
edimusprime
At it's heart SeaQuest wasn't a bad show. I think done today it would greatly benefit from the fact that computer graphics have become so commonplace and affordable. An issue that was one of the major problems at the heart of SeaQuest. At 1 Million an episode (Unheard of at the time)there was obvious cuts that showed up on screen. The perfect example it in an episode where the SeaQuest has a giant bioillumenesant squid invading through the moon pool. The interior scenes have a number of old tricks that were obvious lifted from 1950's monster flicks. "Don't go in that room captain! It's in there!" and a clear rubber tentacle with blink lights, that is without a doubt silly looking and a budget crunched effect. Very Lost in Space-ish.The next issue at hand is story. While not being awful in the first season the plots are often centered around you taking away an ocean lesson, which would later be echoed by Dr. Robert Ballard of Titanic fame. More often the not what was meant to be fun, comes off as silly, and what should be threatening or action packed is not. The menacing ball pit from Brothers and Sisters comes to mind. Even with these issues SeaQuest doesn't show any weaknesses that any other first season Sci Fi show hasn't had. It's struggling to find an identity, and establish itself. The first seasons of Star Trek:The Next Generation, and Deep Space 9 have the same sort of growing pains as well, but turned out fine once they had found it's voice.The third issue which doesn't really show on screen is Roy Scheider himself. Roy clearly hated the show, and put the bad mouth on it as often as he could. In interviews both in print and on TV. In reflection the cut corner effects, and silly plot devices may have had something to do with Scheider's complaints, but face it when the star of a show torpedo's it how much longer is it likely to survive? Season 2 of SeaQuest saw a change in were it was filmed, which helped, and unfortunately a change in cast as well. Most of the principal cast stayed on, but the loss of Stacy Hiduk (spelled wrong I know) stunk. However we did get several new cast members that balance out the losses.The effects didn't really get any better, but I think the crew got better at making the show, and it's effects budget run and look better.The stories were starting to shape up a bit as well, but unfortunately not well enough.Budget, coupled with sinking ratings, and the star bad mouthing the show made the changes that were coming for season 3 unavoidable.Season 3 changes the format of the show considerably. It takes place years later, and Roy is replace by a man who has been in seemingly every bad movie ever Michael Ironside. While the show is dead in the water at this point. The stories started to get better, and were actually beginning to become something that might work.Only problem is it was way too late. Ratings were in the toilet, the show was pre-empted for everything. It no longer had a standard day, or time slot. The cast had yet again another round of changes made for season three, and most of what the audience was familiar with had changed so much it no longer held interest to the fans that could find the show.I gotta be honest. I loved SeaQuest, and as I watch season 1 on DVD I still do. I really wish SciFi channel would resurrect it like it did with Battlestar Galactica.I recommend it with a sense of not overanylizing the show. If you do that I guarantee you won't like it, but given half a chance I think you'll find a buried treasure of sorts.Did I use enough bad sea related jokes in this review?
Skerdog
I've been watching the replays of the episodes during Sci Fi Channel's recent marathon, and I must say that I was struck by the "in your face" environmental activism in nearly every episode I've watched so far. The shows are still entertaining, but they border on annoyance with all the holier-than-thou preaching about how horrible mankind is.I am also reminded of how dark the underwater scenes were back then...at first I thought maybe I had a bad TV, but no, they're just dark. Does ANYONE know what the SeaQuest actually looks like?And you'd think with all the flack that Gene Roddenberry took for having Wesley Crusher "save the Enterprise" each week on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that the producers of DSV would have learned their lessons and cut back on Jonathan Brandeis' (God rest his soul) role.
StuOz
Here are my favourite episodes of seaQuest DSV:To Be Or Not To Be (90 minute pilot). Despite being known as a movie star, I wish to say that Roy Scheider did his best acting in this pilot episode. Roy very reluctantly takes command of the supersub and his exchanges with the crew and confusion over the workings of the sub make for great viewing. However, not a perfect ep, no seaQuest ep is perfect, the CGI underwater effects do not work for me as my lifetime exposure to Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea has given me views on how a submarine series should be produced.SeaWest (episode 10) The supersub goes to a rather false looking (and false sounding) Australia, underwater. But despite being phony (to an Aussie like me), this story of down and dirty miners is cool. Note: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea never went Down Under! This was the first episode since the all-important pilot to really capture my interest.Greed For A Pirate's Dream, highlighted by great characterisation from the regulars and that nut scientist from episode two returns. The scripting here is very good and we have shades of a disaster movie as the island folk refuse to leave the island despite knowing that doom is around the corner.Whale Song, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea-ish episode as the military orders Bridger to take the sub into combat and destroy a sub. The early scene of the remains of a beached whale is of motion picture standard. The all-male crew of the trouble making submarine has a Voyage/Sea-look. Abalon (see my review of this episode on the episode list link).Higher Power, season final and things really do end, characterisation moments come thick and fast in this gem of an episode.Daggers (year two opener), Genetically engineered people cause trouble in this high energy ep. Meltdown, A 200 foot crocodile makes trouble for everyone...and the ending of this hour is very well scripted. Not a very popular episode with many but this stuck-in-Irwin Allen monsters-reviewer likes it. Lostland, The crew get taken over by the curse of an ancient warrior's helmet and Scheider's bad guy acting makes this. A top episode that captures tiny shades of 1960s Irwin Allen.Thanks to a DVD release, seaQuest is getting new viewers who can be thrilled by NINE minutes of "deleted" footage from the pilot! The footage should never have been removed, however, I admit that one deleted moment on the enemy submarine looks a bit too goofy (a crewman gets zapped to death), this bit just does not fit the pilot...but I like it.