Dead Sea 2014
Dead Sea 2014…
“Auriel, a marine biologist assigned to investigate the mysterious deaths of marine life in an inland salt water lake, encounters a giant, ravenous creature previously believed to have been the stuff of legend. With the local residents terrified of the monster that dwells near them, Auriel is the only one who can stop the creature – that is, if she can survive it herself. ”
– Amazon.com (Amazon got this wrong, the biologist is Victoria Amissus)
I made two notes using the new notes app on my cell phone. The first note came at 17 minutes and 50 seconds into the film. My exact wording was, “I am so bored, please make it stop.” The second note was, “Way too much talking and almost no action.”
It was just a few seconds after I made my first note that it looked like the film might finally pick up as we as now on a boat in a lake with some awkwardly acting people in bathing suits pretending to be having a good time. One of our protagonists, Auriel, is on the boat and is really moody. She’s got a camera and seems to be there for reasons other than to party. One by one the few people that are on the boat jump in the nasty looking water to goof off. Of course, then the monster shows up and it looks as though it has killed them all.
There’s also another female protagonist we meet in another storyline. She’s actually the marine biologist. What Auriel’s purpose in the film besides being hot, I have no idea. But, Alexis Iacono plays Victoria Amissus the marine biologist, a borderline alcoholic with daddy issues. She’s been ordered to investigate dead marine life washing up on the shores of our California lake that I think is actually Big Bear Lake. We soon discover for some reason, that I must have missed, the small lake town hates her and she hasn’t spoke to her father in 20 years.
Basically this movie is Jeepers Creepers if it took place in water and sucked. We never really see the monster. Seriously it’s all tight, fast cutaways and reaction shots. This monster is a lake monster that for some reason only shows up every 30 years and if it isn’t given a local sacrifice it will keep killing people that go into the lake.
The problem with this film is that there’s too much back story and too much present day story and not enough monster. Look at the movie poster! That never happens happens. Hell, if that even came close to happening I might have enjoyed this film. Even a bad CGI monster would have been a nice upgrade. It’s a movie about a mysterious people killing sea creature that pretty much never kills anyone. Most of the story takes place on land no where near the sea creature!
“Yo girlfriend, there’s a monster out there!” – “Bitch, you be trippin'”
And, getting back to the Auriel character played by the very sexy and talented Devanny Pinn. I have no idea what point to the film her character serves. We first meet her on the boat that everyone but her dies on. Yes, spoiler alert, turns out she didn’t die. She’s the only one the boat not having fun. She’s obviously a photographer or something but that’s all we ever get to know about her. She pops up a few times. Normally around Victoria the biologist and keeps trying to convince her that there’s something sinister in the water. She pops up again later in the film just long enough for Victoria the biologist, who now believes, to send Auriel out to warn the people.
It’s nice to have a story along with a horror movie but this is pretty much a monster movie without a monsters and a lot of talking that gets us nowhere. If you’re masochist, you will probably love suffering through this movie. For everyone else, go ahead and skip it. Buy Jeepers Creepers I and II instead. You can thank me later.
Cast of Characters:
James Duval … Said (is in it for about 5 minutes at the beginning)
Alexis Iacono … Victoria Amissus
Devanny Pinn … Auriel Servus
Brandon Slagle … Kier Than
Britt Griffith … Castor Pollux
Jw Wiseman … Callan Amissus