I’ve often noticed that there seems to be some kind of theme that Hollywood goes though where two or more films are released close to each other about roughly the same thing.

World Trade Center and United 93 is an example of two 9/11 films from last year. Armageddon and Deep Impact both were asteroid-collision end-of-the-world films of 1998. Antz and A Bug’s Life were both animated insect films from that same year. These are off the top of my head, but I’m sure you can find an example or two from just about every year. 1989 was the first time I ever noticed this happening (although I’m sure someone can cite prior examples) when, in the same year, Deep Star Six, Leviathan and The Abyss were released. It seems as if, for whatever reason, life under water and all the advancements and hazards that come with the concept were a big theme that year.

I can’t begin to explain this phenomenon, but I presume that the big ocean-life angle was a direct result of the banning of whaling during the Eighties and the increase of exposure and popularity that oceanography saw during the later half of the decade. But, specifically with Deep Star Six and Leviathan, these two films are less about preserving the planet’s waters than they are about creating an Aliens knock-off set under water. A precursor to how, in a year’s time, studios were busy remaking Die Hard in every type of environment imaginable. Of course, when I watched this as a kid I wasn’t quite as apparent to me and both films were just awesome flicks that a Fangoria nut and potential Monster Squad initiate had to see. 

Almost two decades have passed since these films have been released. I’ve revisited all three in the past year and, basing this solely on theatrical versions, I have the unpopular opinion that Leviathan has held up the best of the three.

In it, we follow the crew of an underwater mining post in the Atlantic Ocean, 16,000 feet below sea-level. Operated by the Tri-Oceanic Mining Corporation, the purpose of this facility is to explore underwater terrain in order to see if the ore that’s found can be of use or valuable for various purposes. Because of the nature of the mission, command of the miners is given to geologist Steven Beck (Peter Weller, RoboCop) someone completely inexperienced when it comes to managing anyone, let alone a crew that literally doesn’t get to see the light of day for months at a time – He even uses a copy of The Ten Minute Manager for guidance. His crew is the standard roughneck types expected in a genre film. There’s the drunken asshole Sixpack (Daniel Stern, the narrator on TV’s The Wonder Years), who’s actions will be responsible for bad things to come. We have an irresponsible doctor, Glen Thompson (Richard Crenna, the Rambo trilogy). Popular stereotypes are not forgotten. There’s the incredibly hot, smart, brunette chick Willie (Amanda Pays) and the dumb blonde Bowman (Lisa Eilbacher, Beverly Hills Cop). For minorities we got Jones (Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters) and DeJesus (Michael Carmine) to fill the African-American and Hispanic quota, respectively.

Everything seems to be going to plan for the crew. They are very near quota, and very near their next leave. They are also very near something else though – the Leviathan. Somehow undetected by anyone despite being a twenty minute walk from the facility, the Leviathan is a downed Russian ship which according to international naval records, is still active in the Baltic Sea. As the crew goes through the personal items of the Leviathan’s crew, Sixpack finds and steals a flask full of vodka which he shares with Bowman. Beck goes through the captain’s logs to try and learn clues to what happened to the crew, but all he can gather is that they died mysteriously. The same fate is relegated to our good old American crew when something in Sixpack and Bowman’s vodka starts genetically altering them and ultimately kills them.

It’s at this half-way point that Leviathan takes a turn from compelling underwater drama to sci-fi/horror territory. Sixpack and Bowman turn into a very The Thing-ish monster. Like John Carpenter’s film, the monster that the crew alters into has no real form. But it’s described by other characters as “having all the characteristics of deep sea marine life; gills, scales, etc.” The newly created creature seems to absorb the intelligence and memories of its victims and, as it works its way through the rest of the crew, it gets pretty fucking smart. Less than 24 hours before their scheduled pick-up, the entire crew is classified as dead by the corporation that employs them and lies are fed to them through TOM’s representative Martin (Meg Foster, They Live) and her amazing pale eyes via their communication channels. Ultimately, Beck and the surviving members of the crew start running out of oxygen and they have to figure out how to survive both the monster and the imploding of the facility.

So is Leviathan, like Deep Star Six before it, “Alien under water” as it is so often described? Well… yes. It owes quite a great deal to Alien and its sequel. The underwater facility clearly doubles for the Nostromo. The ethnically diverse crew, while clearly not marines, is still unhesitant to pick up and defend themselves. Probably most important, that sick feeling of desertion and aloneness is established throughout. You really get the feeling that these people are isolated and nothing is going to get them out of this. But Leviathan also stands on its own as a pretty solid flick too.

If it was setting out to be an Alien rip-off, Leviathan gets a point in the look aspect by hiring Ron Cobb as production designer. The concept artist for the original Alien certainly knew a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t in a supposed air-tight construction facility. Interconnecting tubular hallways, dangling lights that move shadows and large computing consoles all offer different places to hide scares, be it the creature or just something that can freak out the crew.

The monster itself was designed by effects master Stan Winston, and while it is really impressive it never does have its own real look to it, sacrificing personality. It just seems to have a bit too much in common with The Thing and Predator creatures. It’s actually more effective when it’s smaller. A severed arm for instance starts growing a mouth so that it can attack its next victim. All of these effects are true special effects made with peoples own two hands. No CGI bullshit in here, everything’s made in old-school monster fashion; animatronics, latex and a lot of dripping goo. I actually have nothing against CGI, but I always find traditional effects much more effective when done properly.

The direction too is very strong. George P. Cosmatos, (Cobra, First Blood Part II) while something of a “for-hire” director, released consistently entertaining product during the eighties and Leviathan stands as no exception to that rule. For starters, the pacing is incredible. Little action at all happens in the first half of the film, but while I can see that potentially bothering some genre fans, it actually helps get you involved with the characters, understand their personality traits and even hint at greater relationships between several of them. Watching this made it feel more like I was actually spending time with the crew as opposed to being set up for the later events. In fact, the first half is so wonderfully dense with characterization that it probably wouldn’t take much for a screenwriter to make a prequel to Leviathan (if they were inclined to so something so unprofitable). This abundance of detail only adds to the suspense in the second half, because everyone is so fleshed out that it makes it difficult to pick out who will be next to get killed. I love it when a film gives a lot of credit to its characters, and the crew here is very smart, with more than one of them making it to the end. Even the score helps to make the film sound a little more impressive than it really deserves. Written by Jerry fucking Goldsmith of all people, chase scenes, triumphant moments, and impending doom rarely come across without a sense of Bible-epic worthy grandeur.

Don’t get me wrong, Leviathan is by no means a perfect film. It will never earn filmmaking accolades, even among its own genre. But that doesn’t stop it from being a good time. I know that it got lost during its theatrical run by being surrounded by similar themed films, so if you haven’t seen it, you should really give it a shot on a rainy day or if you’re just in the mood for monster movie goodness. Much like The Fly II, it represents the end of the pre-CGI monster films and is worthy of another look.

The DVD Presentation
Despite being released early in the history of the DVD format, Leviathan looks surprisingly good. The film itself is presented in anamorphic widescreen, and while the transfer does have a fair share of film grain, I was never overly distracted by it. In fact, I don’t really have any complaints with the picture at all. I watched it on a HD screen and it looks pretty damn beautiful – certainly better than the letterboxed laserdisc. Audio, while good, is less impressive. The 2.0 surround track is serviceable. At no point could I not hear what was going on, and the wonderful score comes through clear without ever overbearing on the dialog. The thing is, being the whiz-bam action film that Leviathan is; it really deserves a rousing, speaker rumbling 5.1 mix at minimum. But for a budget catalogue release, I can’t really complain. For the French audience, there is also a 2.0 mix available in that language, and subtitles are included in both English and French.

And the Extras Are?
Trailer – (1:49)
The sole extra on this DVD, this non-anamorphic trailer really did a good job selling the film, but it reveals just a bit too much.  Eighteen years ago, this trailer had me begging my mom to take me to see Leviathan theatrically, which she was cool enough to do. Even today, it stands as a well edited trailer that shows a lot of the tension via reaction shots of the characters, without showing much of the monster at all.

The Bottom Line
Since it’s not a widely heralded film, Leviathan is probably not a candidate for the special edition treatment. It’s been on DVD almost nine years and despite being re-released in 2005 with better cover art, never set any sales records aflame.  But it is a fun flick with great monster effects and a fantastic score that makes the B-film rise above the countless other Alien/Aliens knock-offs out there. I highly, highly recommend the DVD to fans of the genre or anyone else looking for a time-killer.