Following an inexplicable, devastating earthquake, the crew of an oceanic drilling company must find a way to the surface while their whole facility collapses, and creatures they have never seen before are after them.
This is the first time I have watched a film, feeling like starting with the second act. It is as if the first act has been completely edited out. I would really like to get the shooting script and see if the script faded in this way or if this “innovation” took place in the cutting room. Anyway, that’s the first strike right off the bat. The film’s main problem starts before that… in Hollywood. Most Hollywood producers never truly understood H. P. Lovecraft’s vision. They never grasped what the Cthulhu Mythos is. I might be wrong here, but, as kids, they never really turned the lights off and scared themselves sh*tless with his cosmic horror. As adults, they only saw his stories as the cash cow, a means to make money! And that’s why the results are such.
Lovecraft’s stories are meant to inspire fear. His creatures cannot be fought. They hunt you, and they haunt you, and there is nothing you can do about it other than run and pray. And even then, the denouement will most likely not favour you. My second-best Lovecraftian adaptation is Color Out of Space (2019), and even though there were unresolved issues, director Richard Stanley managed to conceptualise his vision. However, my old-time favourite adaptation remains John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994). You will know what I am talking about only if you watch it (or if you have). Having said that, the visual and sound effects teams did an amazing job with the creature(s). I must admit that that was really impressive. As Jessica Henwick always is. This isn’t William Eubank’s fault. He is a brilliant director, and I look forward to watching his next couple of upcoming projects – I loved The Signal (2014).
In the world of Lovecraft, there is no action. Only struggle to remain sane while desperately trying to find any way out of it.
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
I enjoy all of the writers work. I always feel underwhelmed by the filmakers attempt to bring them to life. I will watch this one as well.