Movie Review: UNDERWATER (2020), WASTELANDS Kindle Discounts 6/28-7/5
Kristen Stewart versus murder-mermaids. Also BATTLE FOR THE WASTELANDS and "Son of Grendel" Kindle Countdown deals, last reminder for HuntsvilleCon and another Stone Mountain comic-con 7/6
Back in May 2020, with COVID lockdowns still going, I rented the Kristen Stewart deep-sea horror film Underwater off Amazon and reviewed it for my Mailchimp subscribers. Given how much more popular my Substack is now, I figured it’s time to give my review a new audience. This one is a bit shorter and less analytical than my usual reviews.
So here we go…
One of my perennial complaints about Hollywood these days is the lack of original films. There are lots of remakes and lots of “legacy sequels,” but original plots are increasingly overshadowed. Of course, when Underwater came out in theaters I dawdled and neglected to see it (thus contributing, however insignificantly, to its poor box-office showing), but thanks to Amazon Prime Video, I got the chance to salvage my error.
Underwater takes place on a drilling rig in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean. We start with an interesting expository opening credit sequence made of newspaper headlines that I liked and then waste no time getting to things going wrong. The movie is fast-moving and never boring. And unlike many horror films, the characters don't do stupid things so they can be killed. Instead, the characters (mostly) seem to do the wise thing under the circumstances, but in their situation there aren't a lot of good options.
As far as the cast is concerned, they're all broadly fine. All demonstrate realistic responses to the disaster — some stand strong, while others start to crack believably and need encouragement. The main standout is T.M. Miller as the mouthy Paul. And the creatures — at this point it's not a surprise this is a monster movie — are well-designed and impressive. I get serious Into the Drowning Deep vibes from them, and that was a book I enjoyed. The film makes good use of the soundtrack — complete silence can be pretty scary, as can subtle sound cues. And there are some good shots, including how they handle the opening monster attack. My only main problem is that it's a little too dark and murky sometimes.
Overall I'd give it an A-. Rent or buy it on streaming so we can get a sequel — there are plenty of loose ends and the newspaper-headline epilogue done in the style of the opening credits strongly hints this isn't over.
Two Battle for the Wastelands Kindle Countdown Deals In US and UK
Starting yesterday (i.e. the promo is live now) and running through 11 AM Eastern Time on July 5, both Battle for the Wastelands (the first of the two main-sequence novels in my Wastelands steampunk military fantasy series) and its prequel novella “Son of Grendel” will be only $0.99 (US) and £0.99 (UK) on Amazon.
For your convenience, here are the relevant links:
Battle: U.S. Amazon, U.K. Amazon
“SOG” : U.S. Amazon, U.K. Amazon
Here’s your chance to check out these books risk-free. And if you like them, you can check out the next book in the series, Serpent Sword on Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.
(One technique I’m using for this promotion is newsletter swapping. Author Mars G. Everson has posted about it to his subscribers. Check out his website here and sign up for his newsletter, which will get you a free copy of a short story collection. I’ll send out more about his work in the near future. Christopher G. Nuttall also posted about my promotion on his WordPress blog, which alerts his subscribers whenever new content goes up.)
Coming to HuntsvilleCon 2024 on 6/30 and Another Stone Mountain Event 7/6
Final reminder: For my fans from Alabama and nearby states, I’ll be making my second appearance at HuntsvilleCon from 10 AM to 5 PM on June 30. It will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Monroe Street. Lots of fun stuff going on, as the poster below will attest:
I’ve also signed up for another event at Charlie’s Collectible Show in Stone Mountain 11 AM to 6 PM on 7/6. This Comic-Con doesn’t just feature vendors, but also a number of actors and voice actors, professional wrestler Ron Simmons (stage name Farooq), and an interesting-looking panel on how to become a comic cover artist. Check the link for more detail. I’m splitting the table there with Lynette Bacon-Nguyen, with whom I shared a table at Days of the Dead in January, so come check her work out too.