Click to read the article
Below (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:67
Fresh:43
Rotten:24
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Below is a creepy, claustrophobic exercise in style.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some violence
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Oct 11, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $469,939
Synopsis: In 1943, the crew of the U.S.S. Tiger Shark, an American submarine in the Atlantic, rescues three survivors of a British hospital ship that came under German attack. One of the survivors, a nurse... In 1943, the crew of the U.S.S. Tiger Shark, an American submarine in the Atlantic, rescues three survivors of a British hospital ship that came under German attack. One of the survivors, a nurse (Olivia Williams), raises tensions among the all-male crew from the moment she steps aboard. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Brice (Bruce Greenwood) does his best to keep the unruly crew in line, but after suffering damage from a barrage of Nazi depth charges (in a spectacular sequence) a series of increasingly spooky occurrences begin to rattle everybody aboard. A mysterious face that appears in the windows, a ghostly phonograph that plays a Benny Goodman record, and a corpse that seems to talk are just the beginning. Soon it is discovered that Captain Brice has not been entirely truthful regarding an accident that previously happened on the boat. David Twohy's (PITCH BLACK) unique submarine thriller skillfully combines the conventions of the War and Haunted House genres, using a keen eye for detail to create a very believable and claustrophobic world. Based on a script by Darren Aronofsky and Lucas Sussman (rewritten by Twohy), BELOW doesn't rely on cheap scares. Its supernatural element is secondary to a forceful tale of danger at sea. [More]
Starring: Matt Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Scott Foley
Starring: Matt Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Scott Foley, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Flemyng, Holt McCallany
Director: David Twohy
Director: David Twohy
Screenwriter: Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky, David Twohy
Producer: Susan Baden-Powell, Michael Zoumas
Composer: Graeme Revell
Studio: Dimension Films
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Mar 11, 2003
Reviews for Below
Claustrophobics beware - there's not room on board this sub for an exhausted crew, a woman, and a ghost.
Gaping plot holes sink this 'sub'-standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth.
Twohy's scary tricks lose their luster around the time Below becomes a water-logged version of every haunted house film you've ever seen.
Twohy's overwrought, comic-book theatrics work against him, as does the hokey script.
After the intriguing and rather exciting first act, the film ends up becoming a fourth-rate mystery instead of delivering the tension already inherent in any logline of this story.
Below feels like the first chapter of a potentially classic horror novel that the author left unfinished.
Distinctly sub-par...more likely to drown a viewer in boredom than to send any shivers down his spine.
Becomes swamped early on and spends the rest of its running time dragging itself to Davy Jones' Locker, and us along with it.
With more character development this might have been an eerie thriller; with better payoffs, it could have been a thinking man's monster movie.
Too derivative for its own good (or that of the viewer) and simply not scary, suspenseful or intriguing enough in its design or execution.
Distances you by throwing out so many red herrings, so many false scares, that the genuine ones barely register.
A movie that plays like a gimmick, reliant upon one's appreciation of movie genres ranging from film noir to ghost stories rather than a tale that unfolds to its own rhythms and logic.
Latest News for Below
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



