With so much craziness going on in the world, now seems like the perfect time to stop whatever you’re doing (Zoom meetings permitting) and watchDeep Rising. Seriously. Go. Now. (And since you can watchDeep RisingonMovies Anywhereandthe movie isScreen Passeligible, you can share your love of the film with friends and family as well.)
If you’ve never heard ofDeep Rising, that’s fair enough. The movie was originally written in the mid-1990s, when writer-directorStephen Sommerswas overseeing a number of charming, adventurous programmers for Disney (including an underrated 1994 live-actionJungle Bookthat is alsoScreen Pass-eligible onMovies Anywhere). It had the working titleTentacleandHarrison Fordwas courted for the lead role, which eventually went toTreat Williams— and you can understand why, as the character is a roguish, wise-cracking smuggler with a killer, one-of-a-kind vehicle (this time it’s a boat instead of a spaceship). After Ford turnedDeep Risingdown, the budget was tightened, and production began on June 28, 2025.Claire Forlani, who had originally been in line to play the female lead (a slinky thief), left the movie after less than a week (she clashed with Sommers) and was replaced byFamke Janssen, coming off her high-profile role as a 007 villain. Originally scheduled for release in fall 1997, putting it in the same release corridor as the similarly creature-filledStarship Troopers(co-financed by Disney and also available onMovies AnywhereandScreen Pass-eligible), it fell behind schedule thanks to Disney’s insistence that they use in-house visual effects units, pushing the film into the January 1998 no man’s land. (Industrial Light & Magic was eventually brought on board to bail them out.) When the movie finally came out in late January 1998, critics and audiences were indifferent.
But here’s the thing –Deep Risingis really, really great.
The film takes place in a vaguely futuristic world (it’s the kind of setting a sci-fi novel would describe as “tomorrow”). Williams’ character John Finnegan is hired to transport a band of hardened mercenaries (includingWes Studi,Jason FlemyngandDjimon Hounsou) to intercept a cutting-edge cruise ship called theArgonautica. Finnegan and his motley crew (Kevin J. O’ConnorandUna Damon) don’t know what the mercenaries are up to or what they want with the cruise ship. And by the time they get to theArgonautica, they’re in for an even bigger shock – the cruise ship is empty and slick with the blood of the former crew members and guests. Where did everyone go? What do the mercenaries want? And will any of them get off the cruise ship alive?
We don’t want to ruin everything but here’s the thing – there’s a monster on that cruise ship. It’s big, it’s scary, and it lives up to the original working title for the movie (Tentacle). Sommers, who grew to an even more distinguished curator of disparate genre conventions with films likeThe Mummy, cannily combines several elements that you might not expect to work but miraculously do. Early on, the movie looks and feels like a classic 1970s disaster movie, with a wonderful extended sequence of the cruise ship running intosomething. The Williams character resembles a character out of a peak eraJohn Carpenterjoint. (It’s worth noting thatRob Bottin, a Carpenter confederate, supplied the make-up and practical effects.) And the monster is, of course, paying homage toSteven Spielberg’s classicJawsand any number of “aquatic horror” favorites. There’s a brassyJerry Goldsmithscore and surprisingly sturdy special effects and buckets of gore (occasionally peppered with Halloween store skeletons).Deep Risingis a big, bloody bouillabaisse and a total blast.
Over the years,Deep Rising’s stature has, well,risen. It is now frequently cited for what it is – an unfairly overlooked romp and a potential future cult classic (if it isn’t one already). Williams and Janssen’s performances are witty and knowing, ditto O’Connor andAnthony Healdas the weaselly owner of the cruise ship. And Sommers’ direction is outstanding as he toggles between various genres seamlessly. Like the characters in the movie, you never know what is coming around the corner and what to expect next. You’ll still jump, even if you’ve seen it before. It speaks volumes to the craftsmanship and artistry ofDeep Risingthat it’s still so effective.
But why now? Why should you drop everything and watchDeep Risingthis very second?
Well, because it’s just so much fun. The alternative isnotwatching a movie in which roughneck characters board a glitzy cruise ship, fight amongst each other, and battle a giant, voracious sea beast. And that doesn’t sound very good at all. If you’ve never seen it before or, like myself, you’ve watched it countless times, watchingDeep Risingright now certainly beats the alternative. And if you watch onMovies Anywhereand send aScreen Pass, you’re able to get one of your buds in on the fun. That sounds even better.
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