Review of Danger Beneath the Sea

Introduction

Danger Beneath the Sea is a TV movie made last year and tells the story of a rookie submarine commander who`s first mission goes horribly awry when a Korean Nuclear test goes wrong and the warhead detonates. The submarine is damaged by the blast and loses its ability to communicate with the base. As the nature of the threat and the identity of the target is unclear, the world is at risk of nuclear was as the submarine and her crew decide what to do next.

Video

The video is presented in 4:3 full-frame and is of average quality, providing an adequate image, which is reasonable sharp and free of blemishes during the live action. Several placing shots are a different story however, being dark, grainy and out of focus. At least one of these intermissions is worse than a fourth-generation VHS copy…

The visuals are similarly uninspiring, with the low budget leading to low interest in the mundane submarine and naval base sets which aren`t especially convincing at times. What effects there are also leave a lot to the imagination.

Audio

The full-frame sound is accompanied by Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, which does nothing to add any tension or excitement to the bland visuals.

A general lack of sparkle in the sound isn`t helped by the dull vocals, which occasionally fail to stand out from the background noise.

Features

It`s just as well that there isn`t a making-of on this disc as it wouldn`t be worth watching. As it is there is an American trailer for "The Triangle".

The disc is packaged in a silver Amaray, which contains an insert detailing the 15 chapter breaks and a list of other titles available.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a low-budget TV movie that fails to deliver on all fronts. A good submarine thriller must have tension and excitement to make up for the limited scope for visual storytelling, and Danger Beneath the Sea has no tension and zero excitement.

Weak production, a weak script and weak acting (Casper Van Dien has taken a big tumble since Starship Troopers) across the board make this disc one to avoid at all costs, even at the bargain basement price. Wait for it to show on Channel 5 instead.