It’s 5:30am and apparently I have nothing better to do than coffee and watch the peremptory thalassian horror that will be What Lurks Beneath. Getting right into things the scene changes to the deck(?) of a submarine where a captain gives furious orders. Apparently they are under attack by a Russian sub and it’s time for defensive return fire, countermeasures, and ‘rudder full left, bearing 6, 5, 0.’ This command is obeyed of course but the comms officer hears a lyrical siren esque melody over her headphones which causes her some discomfort, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. The captain directs the comms officer to get a once over by the on board medical technician to make sure she’s fit for duty.

The scene then cuts to a somewhat strained meeting involving the captain and first officer, and a pair of English intelligence officers who inform the captain with information he is unaware of and has not received through American intelligence channels. A back and forth conversation ensues letting the Englishmen know that a captain can’t operate without full disclosure and the Englishmen make some excuses about the information just being made available. Then they also correct the first officer on the number of enemy submarines patrolling the area they are bound for. It might be helpful to note at this point the intelligence officers are stationed on an American submarine in an ongoing joint operation. “It’s not 5 submarines guarding the destination we’ve been ordered to take out, it’s 9 submarines.”, the intelligence officer proffers. The captain mutters again how is it they don’t have this intelligence and why this information was not made available to the captain sooner. A brewing mistrust looms like an impending storm cloud and the meeting is adjourned with promises of “open” intelligence channels. The captain wants the English intelligence officers watched closely and he makes this clear to his first officer.

Many things were done right in What Lurks Beneath. I think first off is good writing. The characters and their interactions are fluid and natural, engaging. Second, and this goes to the writing too, but the amping up of the drama, the discovery and relationships, and the “when” and “how” of revealing key plot points makes for some great story telling. People tend to forget in our instant gratification society that it’s not just about big name actors, producers, or directors with Academy Awards and constant epic over the top gun battles and car chases which make a story “good”.

All in all I enjoyed What Lurks Beneath for what it is. It’s an underwater Fortean tale set aboard an American submarine during a global conflict which finds the superpowers of traditional allies and axis powers at the brink of World War III. There’s an overarching mystery spicing up the story, a love affair between a female petty officer and one of the English intelligence officers, and then there’s the supernatural aspect of the suspicious female stowaway being found naked in a torpedo tube who unsurprisingly is able to upset all things and all peoples. Is she a stowaway? Is she a Russian? Is she a torpedo enthusiast?

I had fun watching What Lurks Beneath and if I’ve piqued your curiosity any, you too may enjoy this perfect for popcorn movie.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.