Ghost Ship (2002)

Director:

Steve Beck

Writers (WGA):

Mark Hanlon (story)
Mark Hanlon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sea Evil

Plot:

A salvage crew that discovers a long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea soon notices, as they try to tow it back to land, that "strange things" happen...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost Ship | Ghost | Luxury Liner | Spear Gun | Cut Into Pieces

Cast

Gabriel Byrne	...	Captain Sean Murphy
Julianna Margulies	...	Maureen Epps
Ron Eldard	...	Dodge
Desmond Harrington	...	Jack Ferriman
Isaiah Washington	...	Greer
Alex Dimitriades	...	Santos
Karl Urban	...	Munder
Emily Browning	...	Katie Harwood
Francesca Rettondini	...	Francesca
Boris Brkic	...	Chief Steward
Bob Ruggiero	...	Captain (as Robert Ruggiero)
Iain Gardiner	...	Purser
Adam Bieshaar	...	First Officer
Cameron Watt	...	Second Officer
Jamie Giddens	...	Friendly Officer

Also Known As:

Chimera (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:16 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #39390) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The opening floor deck sequence of the film where everyone is severed in the torso area by a cable, was originally conceived to be that everyone was decapitated, but the studio didn't like the idea.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after the Arctic Warrior finds the Graza, she is seen traveling parallel to the liner. On the radar screen, however, the blip representing the Graza is directly in front of the tug.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Greer: I can't hold her much longer, Murph. Port bow is heeling. She's taking on way too much water.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Around the Bend (2004)

Soundtrack:

Caliente

Half and half

Now this I would call exactly an average film. For me, it landed precisely at the very center of imdb's 10 point scale, right at 5.5. This means that I found exactly as much to like as I did to dislike. There is a bit of inspiration here, but just as much that's stolen from other better horror movies. If it had opted for tone and real fear instead of cheap shocks, the movie could have been great. The story is good enough that it could have been great if handled well. But we do live in these times, and, although there are scholars of the modern era who would try to have us believe that the current generation consists of a bunch of kids who get everything instantly and process it on a billion levels at once, the truth is indeed the exact opposite. No, there is no subtlety here. It would go over your average teenager's head in a heartbeat. Nope, better play it safe and provide us with a gruesome scene up front where a couple of dozen people are sliced in half by a loose cable during a ball. Gore is not scary. I did however produce a dry heave during this sequence, which is more than I can say for any other gore scene that I've viewed lately. As the gore accumulates, I began to appreciate the artistry that was put into the enormous number of deaths. These are some sickeningly creative people, let me tell you. Unfortunately, the director (or screenwriters or whoever) ruins any real potential by revealing every detail about what happened on the titular boat in a fast-motion sequence accompanied by techno music! It's the kind of moment where you just slap your head for the lack of talent involved. And then there was more stuff I liked. For example, the art direction is very impressive. The revelation of one character's identity, while not particularly surprising, is at least somewhat new. I give this film a 5/10, rounding down because I felt the final moment was a bit groan-inducing.