Sea Fever (2020)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Here is a good old fashion tale of horror that takes place in the rather claustrophobic confine of a fishing trawler. There seem to be something strange under the water when the trawler gets stuck in the middle of the ocean. A strange huge octopus like creature that has the deadly ability to infect the crew with some sort of virus. Luckily we have the presence of a super intelligent student scientist and expert in marine life who happens to join the journey as part of her study programme, to explain what's going on and even offer some ideas to confront the threat.

Produced with a modest budget and having a cast of unknown give the whole movie a independent and a bit of an arthouse movie feel. The camera work is good and there is effective use of sound effects and music to enhance the thrills. One thing that place Sea Fever apart from the usual horror stuff in this genre is how seriously it takes itself and how each character is given an interesting background, making everyone feel like real people. There is also interesting references and details provided on beliefs and customs followed by the fishing community which adds a level of authenticity to the tale. Thankfully, there are no tongue in cheek humor or excuses to have some sexy scenes to soften the impact. This is not that kind of movie. Don't expect too much extreme gore or heart stopping moments. This is not necessarily a bad thing as that means the film stays focus on the plot and its progress to the conclusion. This is a British production and filmed in Ireland so expect a bit of heavy Irish dialect to weave through. Subtitles would have been a help sometimes!

Some critics may complain that this is an inferior version of other better "unseen monster" movies like The Thing, Alien, or more recently, Life. While I agree on the commonality of the genre, I disagree that we compare this with the other movies because I feel this is very much a different story and hence, nothing unusual to be told differently. It may not as memorable and polished as those other movies but I think it is a solid and decent effort and something fans of the genre can enjoy.