Bering Sea Beast (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews

A single word can be used to summarize this movie; LOL...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 22 December 2013]

"Bering Sea Beast" is one of those monster movies, literally bad to the bone.

The story here is about a family of treasure salvagers have taken on a new hired deckhand. When they accidentally set free an aquatic monstrosity that have now gotten the taste for human flesh. These creatures of local legend, sea vampires, surface and wreck havoc on the community.

Actually the story here is straight forward and very easy to follow, albeit it is incredibly stupid and predictable.

Worse yet, are the special effects. The creatures, these sea vampires, were hilarious to look at. They were so fake and so badly animated that you can't take them seriously for one second. Even the sound they were making was cliché. The concept idea for the creatures was initially nice and the creature design was alright, but it went terribly wrong with the horrible CGI effects.

The acting itself by the people on the cast list was good enough, they just didn't have a proper script or something solid to work with.

You know from the very moment you sit down to watch this movie that it is going to be one of those movies that the SyFy Channel are famous for.

If you enjoy badly scripted monster movies with horrible CGI effects, then by all means, "Bering Sea Beast" should be right up your alley.

Not that good

[SanteeFats · 3/10 · 10 November 2013]

Another laughable attempt at a movie from the SyFy channel. I hope they will eventually learn that it is better to put 2-3 bad movies worth of production costs into just one good movie. The guy that digs in the sand pile and gets attacked by the baby sea vampire, who doesn't go to the place of the pain? Where were his hands after the attack?? Of course there is the naturalist who is also an apologist for the killer beasts, saying to leave the beasts alone. Guess what? It don't work that way. There is the stereotypical greedy asshole who won't stop at anything to gain control of a claim and the good guys boat. The brother is a back stabbing piece of garbage. When the animals are lured in to the harbor for slaughter it just doesn't work out that well. Many are killed but not all. Several humans are drained including the head bad guy. The special effects used to make the creatures is another poor effort. With the state of CGI now that is inexcusable, even with a limited budget. This movie just sucks.

A creature movie with...garbage-bin-bag-looking sea vampires?

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 15 November 2013]

A rather lame movie, but it does have bright spots and it is a long way from SyFy's worst. Most of the acting is decent, especially from Jonathan Lipnicki(such a cute child star he was) who gives an earnest performance and the attractive Cassie Scerbo. The scenery is nice too with some competent photography(with exceptions) and the ending has some exciting action. There is a lot wrong with Bering Sea Beast, the biggest problem being the special effects, atrocious is a good word. The sea vampires look more like garbage-bin-bags with teeth and bat-wings, and aside from how they look they are also without personality or menace, you actually cannot take them seriously. Their attacks are not suspenseful or tense in the slightest, more veering between unintentionally comical, and suffer from some sloppy and rushed editing. The music plays too much of a dirge in places and is very generic stuff complete with unconvincing and at times bizarre sound effects and mixing. Bering Sea Beast is very badly written, the dialogue just reeks of cheese apart from the odd moment of snappy banter, at the beginning there are some laughs but later on it is very grating, while the characters are stereotypical caricatures and nothing more. Especially the villain, who had a subplot that was clichéd and out of place, and the over-compensated way he was played was the chief exception to the "decent acting" plus-point earlier mentioned. The story ends on an exciting note but much of it was dull and far too ridiculous to be taken at face value, sense of terror, tension, fun, thrills, suspense and even logic are almost completely thrown out of the window. There is some fun scattered here and there but too much of it is tiresome and grating, overall while SyFy have done much worse Bering Sea Beast was rather lame. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Hilarious!

[kimgatlin1 · 5/10 · 10 November 2013]

O my god, awesome. I give it a 5 for entertainment value. Now, Citizen Kane this is not, but you know what you're getting with SYFI Saturday night creature features. The monster has a certain, shall we say "garbage bag" effect going on. And, at one point, I swear I saw a wire just as it was being erased by the cgi. The acting was decent, Johnathon Lipnicki did a good job. The special effects were about what you would expect. I won't give it away, but pay attention when they have the dad in the back of the truck. You won't see that coming. If you love cheese, check this out and, hey it put my husband to sleep, so I didn't have to listen to his comments.

Terrible

[jamesmcgeorge · 1/10 · 6 December 2014]

This is one of the worst, made for TV movies ever. It has a truly terrible plot, acting, effects, logic, the lot. But they do kill the Bad guys with Grow Lights and so for that reason alone its worth a giggle. Go to the final 3rd of the film to save wasting your life. But only if you are a pot head. Astonishingly bored. Have lost the will to live. Have no life. Have no friends. And have nothing else in your life other than breath and eyes. Which you may well want to pluck out using rusty vinegar dipped spoons after watching this. You have been warned. so if you do watch this think very very carefully, can I really afford to throw away precious hours that I will truly regret losing immediately I start watching this drivel? Because the only way this could even become a cult film is for its terribleness, if people watch it out of sheer bloody mindedness to want to watch their own lives sap away before their own desperate eyes. Do yourself a favour and pick another film even that film you really can't stand it would be better than a moment wasted watching this dire pile of dung. Just don't do it.

Syfy Gets Sea Fangs

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 16 November 2013]

Somewhere on the coast of Alaska, by the gold-rich Bering Sea, feisty blonde Cassie Scerbo (as Donna Hunter) gives new deckhand Brandon Beemer (as Owen Powers) the cold shoulder. He has been hired by her silver-haired prospector father Kevin Dobson (as Glenn Hunter), for reasons later revealed. Also on board is Ms. Scerbo's muscular blond brother Jonathan Lipnicki (as Joe Hunter). He has a bigger secret than his father does. This seafaring family and their crew like to dive for gold. In the opening minutes, Mr. Lipnicki discovers the first of several victims...

Apparently, divers have disturbed a hoard of hungry "sea vampires." Professor of marine biology Jacqueline Fleming (as Megan Arthur) wants to study the creatures and dastardly Lawrence Turner (as Travis Thorne) wants to outbid Mr. Dobson for diving rights. All of this begins as an interesting science fiction, but ends up being silly and tedious. The best part of the story is an interesting brother-sister relationship written by Brook Durham and performed very well by Scerbo and Lipnicki. They threw a little something worthy into this one.

***** Beast of the Bering Sea (11/9/13) Don E. FauntLeRoy ~ Cassie Scerbo, Jonathan Lipnicki, Brandon Beemer, Kevin Dobson

Baffling ...

[parry_na · 2/10 · 18 January 2016]

It's uncanny. Feisty, pretty Donna Hunter (Cassie Scerbo), who works with her dad and younger brother (they are Gold Hunters in the arctic) welcomes new deckhand Owen Powers (Brandon Beemer) with as much venom as she can muster – but he's almost as pretty as she is! Turns out he's a good guy as well, so one would consider it an inevitability they are destined for a long and fruitful life together. And yet to criticise such 'cheesiness' (cheesy: (a). Of poor quality; shoddy: a movie with cheesy special effects. (b). Vulgarly pretentious or sentimental: a cheesy romantic comedy) is proof of not understanding the point that it's 'cheese' is entirely deliberate. Therefore, it is beyond criticism because it is supposed to be ridiculous.

I've never really understood this. A horror comedy that is neither horrific nor comedic, just hovering somewhere in between. You either go into a horror film wanting to enjoy it by laughing at it, or to invest in the story it is telling and go along with it. It's impossible to go along with this film because the titular creatures, the Sea Vampires disturbed by the salvagers are adorably bad. Even the illustrations on publicity material depict them as being just as cartoon-like as they are on-screen. And yet the players are earnest and don't play anything for laughs.

The creatures appear to loosely be based on stingrays, but with bulbous eyes and wide, frog-like mouths. For the hilarity of their every appearance, they are deadly beasts, killing Donna's father as well as other peripheral characters. But not to worry too much – she and Owen are finding comfort in each other's melancholy. It seems as if the ice maiden is about to be thawed out. So disturbing a race of killer jellies has its benefits! The creatures are routinely defeated by grow-lights used by the local villain to cultivate marijuana (the swine), which is inventive, if nothing else. Ultimately, this film seems to have been produced to fit the 'so bad its good' criteria, which as an ambition, baffles me.

Watch Out for the Sea Vampires

[Michael_Elliott · 17 November 2013]

Bering Sea Beast (2013)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

The Bering Sea has become so popular with "Deadliest Catch" I guess it was just a matter of time before SyFy used it for one of their monster movies. A family of fisherman team up with a scientist when they discover that the old legend of "sea vampires" are actually true and now the creatures are attacking people who work this part of the sea. BERING SEA BEAST is pretty much what you'd expect from a SyFy film as they take a name some know (Jonathan Lipnicki, the kid in JERRY MAGUIRE) and mix in a rather silly story and some of the worst special effects that you're ever going to witness. These awful effects are certainly the highlight of the film because it's clear that they either didn't have much money to come up with something better or they just wanted to make them so bad that people would talk about them and bring other viewers to the film. These effects are certainly among the dumbest you're ever going to see in a SyFy film but they did get me thinking that it would be pretty fun for a filmmaker to make a documentary about all the horrid effects these types of films have produced over the past decade. I will say that the effects are so silly and bad that they do somewhat keep you "entertained" by everything else going on. None of the performances are all that memorable but I will say that Cassie Scerbo helps keep the film moving. As for the former child star Lipnicki, it's certainly nice seeing him as he is today but his performance was pretty bad. The death scenes are all mostly forgettable but then again the bad CGI really doesn't help anything. What keeps BERING SEA BEAST from being entertaining is the fact that it takes itself way too serious. I've never understood how the filmmakers could give us such awful effects but at the same time expect us to take everything else serious.

Not too bad

[shakamalakum · 4/10 · 3 December 2013]

***Warning this review does contain a spoiler or two***

Compared to Sharknado, this movie is a real gem. It was one of those "It's so bad, it's good." For a low budget made for TV movie, the acting was pretty good. I didn't buy the main Drug Lord/Antagonist' bad guy persona. He was like a cross between Boss Hogg and Mr. Potter (from It's A Wonderful Life).

Anyone who watches these Alaskan gold reality TV shows know that there no gold nuggets as big as those shown just laying on the bottom, ready to be snatched up. The creature had an undefined garbage bag look. Bad CGI. I was watching the characters hide under an excavator and you could plainly see the wire attached to the creature as it landed to attack. For a movie with so many people getting killed... NO Police whatsoever. At the beginning of the movie, the ships diver gets killed. The crew opts not to notify the police until after a land lease auction takes place (which seemed plausible). But afterward, we never see any police involvement. Kevin Dobson dies 'Alien Style' in the back of the family SUV. Lot's of blood. Hours later when the vehicle is driven again, no blood. And what happened to the father? Were they driving around with a corpse in the back? Again, no police involvement. And over a 2 - 3 night period there was a lot of firearm play at the Marina, yet no police or curious locals.

I did love the MacGyver weapons used. Marijuana grow lights, PVC pipe, duct tape, batteries and UV light-bulbs made for decent weapons. Kudos to the Prop Dept. But to slam the SFX again, UV lights don't shoot like laser beams. Yes the movie lacked a lot, but hey... it IS a low budget film and they did a lot with the money allotted. Overall I found the movie rather fun to watch. And isn't that what it's all about?

Yet another poorly written script for a Sy-Fy Network exclusive movie.

[cmv32261 · 1/10 · 9 November 2013]

So scared I was shaking in my shoes, really!, a flying skate with teeth, how pathetic. 1 would think the water of the Bering Sea would be so cold you would need your body covered from head to toe inside of an insulated Dry suit. Another thing that makes absolutely no sense, is there really that much gold at the bottom of the Bering Sea from river runoff? Damn!, why is my rating not displayed, must be due to the formatting of the Software for this Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8" Tablet. Back in the day before Stargate SG-1, and to an extent SG Atlantis as well wrapped up their final seasons the Sci-Fi Channel still had some fairly decent shows to watch, now it is nothing but garbage. MGM who possesses the rights to the Stargate franchise is more concerned about their damn casino/resorts than their television/movie division, my opinion is if you care more about focusing on Casino/Resorts than television and straight to DVD then auction those copy rights off to someone who has more appreciation for television entertainment.

Right when you think you have seen it all!

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 5 May 2017]

This below B creature feature is directed by Don E. DauntLeRoy and may be found to be more laughable than horrifying. Captain Glenn Hunter (Kevin Dobson) and twin siblings Donna (Cassie Scerbo) and Joe (Jonathan Lipnicki) battle bankruptcy by dredging for gold in the Bering Sea. The pair are devastated following the death of their father and upon the revelation they have inadvertently disturbed the habitat of bloodthirsty amphibious predators by their dredging across an underwater cavern.

Miss Scerbo, by far, is the best among the bad acting. Without telling you what the creatures are...just know they are hideously laughable. You do need to check this out for yourself. Really! Other players: Brandon Beemer, Jaqueline Fleming, Lawrence Turner, Dane Rhodes and Michael Papajohn.

Above-average Sci-Fi channel fare with a few flaws

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 14 November 2013]

Working on a potentially-loaded gold vein, a family of gold-hunters in the Arctic comes across the truth behind a local legend when they disturb the resting area of a group of vicious vampiric predators and must save the town from the ravenous creatures.

This is an incredibly fun if flawed entry amongst the Sci-Fi Channel efforts, though it actually does a lot more right than wrong. One of the biggest pluses here is the absolutely fun and exciting plot-line that allows this one to be loaded with action scenes, especially in the later half which is when the creatures get free and are able to wreck havoc in the town. With plenty of fun encounters including the ambush at sea in the dark that shows the hunters' trap is far from effective that allows the creatures to feast on them in some nice behavioral-attack scenes, an effective encounter in the warehouse that finally leads to a discovery about their weakness and the final match at sea armed with their chosen weapons in a thrilling battle against the creatures which has plenty of momentum turns, some suspenseful moments thrown into the mix and an explosive ending that makes for a fun and exciting finish, the finale gets quite a bit of enjoyable moments out of itself that's coupled nicely with some really good action scenes earlier on. As well, the creatures are given a rather inventive back-story that makes them far more than just unexplained things creeping up out of the darkness, but have a more understandable biology and behavior that most other creatures in these films are never graced with and offers a touch of sympathy when combined with the real reason for their appearance in the modern world. That said, there's still some problems here, mainly in the rather atrocious CGI here with some utterly abysmal work on the creatures that make them look like pixilated bat wings with fangs without any sort of detail to the beast completely neutered among the blurred nature of the scene, and when done in conjunction with the blood and gore makes for quite a troubling experience. As well, it features a few troubling story lines that make no sense, including the effort to include the human villain amongst their plans or the need for secrecy regarding their appearance, a common trait that serves nothing original here and really does this one little favors. Otherwise, this here was quite enjoyable enough.

Rated UR/R: Graphic Violence and Language.

Fast-moving TV horror about bloodsucking stingray-like creatures on the coast of Alaska

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 11 September 2017]

RELEASED TO TV IN 2013 and directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy, "Bering Sea Beast" (aka "Beast of the Bering Sea") chronicles events on the Alaskan coast when gold dredgers inadvertently unleash bloodsucking sea creatures. When their father (Kevin Dobson) falls prey to the ravenous beasts, siblings Donna (Cassandra Scerbo) and Joe (Jonathan Lipnicki) unite with a stalwart seafarer (Brandon Beemer) and a dedicated marine biologist (Jacqueline Fleming) to kill or be killed by the monsters.

This is a snappy, action-packed TV creature feature with great ocean/gold-dredging location photography. Scerbo stands out in the cast mainly because she looks great in tight pants, which is offset by her feisty, stubborn obnoxiousness. Lipnicki is duplicitous; Beemer is palpably noble; and Fleming is intelligent, celestial and compassionate. Sure, the CGI creatures are cartoony, a meshing of stingrays, vampire bats and frogs, but they're formidable opponents. Unfortunately, the first half is better than the second, which seems to fizzle out despite all the action.

THE MOVIE RUNS 86 minutes and was shot in Slidell, Louisiana (but the mountains in the background show that some of it was shot in the Great Northwest). WRITER: Brook Durham.

GRADE: B-

Yeah... it's a No

[rdamian1963 · 2/10 · 29 December 2023]

A made for TV movie that fails to deliver. SyFy has basically never delivered a good sci Fi movie. This is no exception. It isn't the worst movie of all time but it is definitely lacking. The premise of sea creatures feeding by exsanguination isn't a bad one but the movie execution is. The script is horrible, down right horrible. Acting is passable. Special effects are some of the worst I've seen for a more modern movie. As typical for low budget creature features, there is absolutely no character development. Thankfully it is not a long movie. If you have not seen this movie, I recommend passing it by.

Better than the Sharknado sequels

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 12 September 2017]

I caught this one on Netflix under the title BEAST OF BERING SEA. It's a typical Asylum movie, very similar in fact to JAWS, except replacing the great white with some made-up sea vampires that have their own bit of folklore surrounding them. Said sea vampires have wing-like appendages which they envelope their prey with before sucking them dry. It looks like a lot like Dracula enfolding a victim in his cape. There's also a chestburster scene copied from ALIEN.

As an Asylum film, this is very low budget with a tongue-in-cheek script and humour that doesn't really work. The CGI is bad, but not the worst I've seen. Actors dragging their reputations through the mud include veteran TV star Kevin Dobson as well as STUART LITTLE's Jonathan Lipnicki, all grown up and then some.

MOTHER NATURE BATS LAST AND ALWAYS BATS A THOUSAND.

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 12 April 2019]

While smoking a bunch of weed, script writer Brook Durham looked at a set of dentures sitting on top of a large garbage bag and thought, "I think I can make a movie out of this. Quick to the Ed Wood machine!"

While diving for gold, a man gets killed by a sea bat, or better yet, CG bat. Rather than inform authorities, they wait. A few more people die and a local marine biologist (Jaqueline Fleming) gets involved as it seems man has disturbed the breeding grounds of these creatures, which like Supercar can travel on land, sea and air.

Seasoned outdoors worker Donna (Cassandra Scerbo) who has silky smooth hands and skin, leads a small group against the creatures. Also know as "Bering Sea Beast" when it was shown on TV. The BERING Sea Beast was filmed in Slidell, Louisiana where you really can't see Russia.

Good cheese value but not as good as the "Mega-shark" series, or anything with the name shark in the title made in the last few years including Sharknado, Avalanche Sharks, and Ghost Shark.

I was in the Navy, I know sea bats are for real. I have seen them. ;)

Go go go

[bl-63974 · 1/10 · 2 May 2021]

Have you noticed that the more terrible the movie the more the lead characters are constantly saying," Go go go, Or bring up hurry up " All at the same time. This one is so bad you can see the wires on the creatures.