Ghost Ship
(2002)
review by Bil Withonel

One might find the premise of this movie to be a bit odd. If I was a man who just so happened to stumble across an unidentified ship out in the middle of the Bering Sea, a ship that's been afloat and missing since the 40's, I probably wouldn't keep a picture of it in my pocket in case I ran into someone who knew something about such things. Moreover, if I was a part of a crew that salvaged ships, and I was hanging out in a bar, sucking down some suds after a long day of underwater welding, and some dude rolls up with a picture of a missing ship, I'd have more than just a few preliminary questions. Then again, this is ME, and not Hollywood, and they try to make movies exciting and it's a safe bet there will probably never be a biopic about me.

The opening scene of this movie is an absolute dream for those who love gore, and who doesn't? A cable rigged with heavy weights zips across a crowded dance floor instantly cutting everyone in the room in half. The room goes silent, and everyone starts looking around trying to figure out what just happened. As the bodies begin to move, they begin to fall apart and fall, and what results is one of the bloodiest, goriest scenes in recent memory.

The movie sort of slows down for a little while after this, and it becomes a bit muddy. Seems this ship has been floating around, undiscovered since the 1940's. There's tons of gold on board, which doesn't belong to anyone due to it being in international waters (Possible BIG plot hole here...) There's also a few ghosts on board that our salvage crew seems to have no problem hanging out with, talking to, dancing with, and kissing. Some ghosts are here for sinister purposes, some are here to help, namely a cute yet creepy Katie. The crew decides, or rather has it decided for them, to repair the ship (which is currently taking in water.... the timing in this movie is impeccable) drive it home, and keep the gold. The former inhabitants of the ship aren't the only thing supernatural around here, and a few twist and turns of the plot, leaves you guessing as to what is actually going on. I only wish this was explained a little better, or at least a little slower.

The movie has a well thought out back story, and a decent plot. The gore does not end with the opening sequence. A women being hooked and hung through the face makes for some gruesome viewing. The problem with this movie is everything comes to fruition in the span of about 15 seconds, and if you miss it, you're completely lost. Also, just to be knick picky, when the salvagers are handling the gold bars, they should at least ACT like they are heavy, and not toss them around like they are made of chocolate.

Ghost Ship, on the whole, doesn't 100% come across like a horror movie. This is just my opinion, but to me it seemed more like a drama or action movie (whatever category you would put Armageddon in) that just so happens to have lots of gore (and ghosts) in it. Emily Browning, who plays the little ghost girl Katie Hargrove, does a stand out job of being creepy, yet sweet at the same time, not unlike Kirsten Dunst did in Interview with a Vampire.

Over all, Ghost Ship is a decent view and worth the time to watch. I can't emphasize the gore scene at the beginning enough and it's usually what anyone who has seen the movie ends up talking about.

That is of course they somehow managed to forget about Franchesca......