bowmanblue

I never watched this back in the nineties, but I was aware of it. I had, however, seen similar films which were basically parodies of popular movies or genres of the time, such as 'Hotshots, The Naked Gun' and 'Loaded Weapon.' I enjoyed them all back in the day, but it's taken me until 2024 to get round to this one.

Weirdly, I may have been the only fourteen year old to not really be that into 1991's 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,' but I remember how popular it was at the time and it's still regarded as a classic to this day. Therefore, film-maker Mel Brooks decides to make a parody of it with his 'Men in Tights' offering. The story basically follows the classic version of the tale of Robin Hood that we all know.

Brooks also made 'Spaceballs' which is effectively poking fun at 'Star Wars' and I recall I enjoyed that, so I do like his humour. But my 2024 brain just didn't find many laughs in 'Men in Tights.' It's odd, as I reckon that if I was still in my mid teens I probably would have liked this much more and, if I watched it today, it would no doubt bring back nostalgic memories which would make me rate it higher.

Sadly, I just didn't find it that funny. Yes, I chuckled a few times, but many of the jokes got samey quite quickly and others were actually the same ones used in 'Spaceballs,' only repurposed for a medieval setting instead of sci-fi. Overall, it's okay. I found it the kind of film you'd have on in the background and dip in and out of.

Hmm, where to begin... 'The Devil's Triangle' is about a passenger plane that gets shot down over the Bermuda Triangle and ends up in Atlantis, only to find that those who dwell below sea levels have sinister plans for us 'land dwellers.'

Not an awful plot for a run-of-the-mill sci-fi TV show, but it's a - relatively - short film which never really lives up to its lofty ideals. For a start, you have the cast. There are no big name actors and, although some are okay (at best!), it seems that most of the Atlantis residents are some of the worst actors available. I feel bad for saying that, as, given a better script, they may be okay on screen. However, the script - especially for the bad guys - is just terrible and full of cliches - so much so it's like they actually speak fluent 'bad guy.'

The special effects are random action scenes which look quite good - for a Playstation 4 cut-scene. But they never really have any effect on the story, as they're mainly flashbacks. Put simply, there are no real special effects involving the characters and the sets look like they're from a daytime soap with blue lighting.

I could have put up all that, but the bad guys are just too dumb to be taken seriously. They show potential enemies round their facility and teach them how two effectively destroy their empire at the touch of a button (and then leave all major control panels completely unguarded for the humans to do just that!).

Overall, it hasn't really got that much going for it. It tries, but it doesn't have the budget or script to make it worth your time.

'The Rift' could have been a solid 'creature feature,' but it struggles to make good on its premise. It follows a submarine crew sent on a rescue mission into uncharted depths, only to discover horrors lurking beneath the surface. There's enough here to keep fans of cheesy 80s/90s horror mildly entertained, the movie takes was long for anything to actually happen.

For nearly the first hour, very little happens. The early scenes are mainly all exposition and repetitive submarine antics that don't do much to build up to anything. By the time the action finally picks up, it's hard not to feel like you've already been treading water (boom boom!) for far too long. When the monster finally makes an appearance towards the end, it's actually not too bad, but it's too little too late.

The cast is best served by R. Lee Ermey and Ray Wise as they're the two most recognizable names in the lineup - and they unsurprisingly steal the show. Ermey delivers his trademark gruff authority as the submarine commander, bringing some much-needed energy to the otherwise shallow proceedings. Ray Wise, always a joy to watch, is unfortunately underused, leaving viewers wishing his screen time had been expanded. The rest of the cast does a passable job but lacks the charisma to make their characters memorable.

Perhaps 'The Rift's' biggest flaw is its blatant attempt to borrow the action/tension scenes from far superior films - mainly 'Aliens.' These moments come across as pale imitations that only show what 'The Rift' is missing. In the end, 'The Rift' is an okay-ish attempt at a monster movie that may satisfy B-movie fans of underwater horror, it's far from essential viewing. It's worth a watch for die-hard fans of R. Lee Ermey or Ray Wise, but for most viewers, it'll likely sink into obscurity.