Encounters in the Deep -1979

Remember those days when I was watching and reviewing the Sci Fi Invasion boxset?  Remember my elation when I got through the set?  Well, I knew I would miss it, and I did.  I did because as I was watching this movie, Encounters in the Deep, it heavily reminded me of the set.  In a good way.

I also lucked into a thought about the set and what made some of the features there feel weird, confusing, or incomplete.  This movie had the same feel, and I really decided to focus on why that feeling was happening and what was causing it.  I think the thing is that for the most part, nothing in this is explained, and it ends just as the momentum of the plot really picks up.  And it's the same reason why so many people dislike 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In this film, in films on the set, and in 2001, you have a long time where there's an initial build.  Some things happen, some of them related to the plot, and some not.  You have an introduction to the "problem" whether its random black rectangles showing up, or in the case of Encounters, missing people in the Bermuda Triangle.  But then as soon as that idea appears, there's a tone shift as other stories are focused on, there'a lot of dialogue, and there's a distraction away from that plot.  Hal 9000 shows up, or in this case, there's lots of scuba diving scenes, and then in the end when all the resolution should happen there's still many unanswered questions.  People ask, so why did Hal go crazy?  People ask, so what did the aliens want?  And that's the same question one might ask at the end of this.

There are aliens in Encounters, I guess that's a spoiler warning.  There's people disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle, and one of them happens to be a boat captain's daughter.  They all head off to investigate, and discover that the water there has a high amount of plutonium, guessing it's some type of shield or fake environment where aliens could store shit there underwater.  Also, there's random rock formations showing up that shouldn't be there, and creepy radar blips and such happening.

It all adds up to what felt extremely like the Sci Fi set.  It has that uneven weirdness.  Intrigue, and creepy atmosphere, but a slightly incomplete story....  It feels like chapter 1-3 in a 8 or 9 chapter story essentially.  There's for sure scenes that are compelling and amazing, but then there's loads of time spent on unimportant ideas, and enough scuba diving to make you sea sick.  There's a lot of well toned Italian men in skimpy bathing suits, and you'll have to forgive me for getting slightly aroused during this.

I liked this.  It felt so reminiscent of the set, and completely offbeat.  I give it 4 stars.