Below

Miramax Films | Release Date: October 11, 2002

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Ratings

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juliankennedy23Jul 2, 2014

Below: 5/10: Much like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village halfway through Below I had a horrible feeling of dread. There were many ways the plot could still go and nothing but atmosphere and build-up had taken place. Yet I became convinced thatBelow: 5/10: Much like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village halfway through Below I had a horrible feeling of dread. There were many ways the plot could still go and nothing but atmosphere and build-up had taken place. Yet I became convinced that a lame obvious payoff was in my future. I was right.

Below tells such a simple straightforward story that the histrionics throughout the film seem even more overblown in retrospect than during the viewing. The movie succeeds on some levels, it has a nice Pitch Black homage, very good special effects and set design and it does create a spooky atmosphere with sounds all around you and slamming door and flickering lights. (Director Twohy throws so many fright clichés at you I'm surprised the submarine doesn't have a cat.)

The downsides, besides the disastrous ending, are more plentiful. Bruce Greenwood, playing the acting skipper, comes across as more of a fishing charter captain than a sub commander in wartime. And Olivia Williams, as the rescued nurse, plays cold so well that I was rooting for the only piece of eye-candy in the whole film to die, disappear or at the very least shut up.

All of this is a bit of a shame because take away the ghost story (and the endless bump in the night cheap scares that accompany it) you have yourself a pretty serviceable psychological thriller. On top of that the action scenes with the Germans attacking the sub are certainly tenser than any of the haunting stuff.

Director Twohy would have been wise to dump the end and gone with a straightforward crippled World War 2 sub story.… Expand

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LisuebieMar 12, 2013

Beautifully shot, well acted, but boring, boring boring. Sorry. The story makes no sense and so, though you would love to care about the characters and maybe get a little scared, you don't.

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eva3si0nApr 16, 2023

Below is a regular thriller in the entourage of World War II. A good cast and description of the plot of the film attracts the viewer. At first glance, it seems that this is a good thriller, but when viewed by the middle of the film, the mainBelow is a regular thriller in the entourage of World War II. A good cast and description of the plot of the film attracts the viewer. At first glance, it seems that this is a good thriller, but when viewed by the middle of the film, the main plot twist becomes clear, and the whole plot literally falls apart. You are no longer so interested in what will happen next, you already know how everything will end. From this Below turns into a mediocre thriller, in which the second half of the film is trying to escalate both atmosphere and suspense, when the viewer has already understood everything and solved the riddle. Below can be watched once, and it will be very good if you miss the plot twist ahead of time.… Expand

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