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Plankton
Media Blasters // Unrated // July 29, 2003
List Price: $19.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Even those of you who have been DVD collectors for only a short time may have experienced the dreaded practice of "double dipping", in which a home video company re-releases a DVD with a new transfer, new extras, etc., forcing the consumer to make a choice about which version to purchase, or more often, re-purchase. But, how many times has a company re-released the exact same DVD with a new title? That's the case with Shriek Show's new release of Plankton, which is simply a re-dressing of their Creatures from the Abyss DVD. Has the gimmick of disguising movies, a practice which was popular in drive-ins in the 60s and 70s, now found its way to DVD?
Plankton opens with five friends, Bobby (Michael Bon), Dorothy (Loren De Palm), Mike (Clay Rogers), Margareth (Sharon Twomey), and Julie (Ann Wolf), decide that it would be a good idea to take a motor-boat (an inflatable one at that) into the open ocean. That sounds like a good plan. Soon, night falls, and the boat runs out of gas. Fearing that they will be lost at sea, the group comes across a passing yacht and board it. They search the boat and find it to be seemingly deserted. They also discover that the boat is no pleasure-cruiser. The ship is a research vessel. In the ship's lab, they find samples of bizarre and monstrous-looking fish. But, that doesn't deter them from throwing a party! But, this party is soon interrupted, as it is revealed that the scientists on the ship were experimenting with irradiated plankton, and that anyone who comes in contact with this substance will become a hideous fish-monster. As members of the gang begin to mutate, the survivors must find a way to get off of the doomed ship.
Plankton AKA Creatures from the Abyss is a really bad movie, and carries all of the negative aspects that make it a prime example of bad EuroHorror. There's no denying that. The plot is stupid and derivative. The story is an odd combination of Piranha II, Leviathan, and Friday the 13, Part VIII. Logic doesn't exist in the film, as the characters do incredibly stupid things from the film's opening seconds. The acting is horrible and the dubbing only makes things worse. The film looks as if it were edited by someone with severe ADHD, as there is an establishing shot of the ship at least every two minutes. We can't forget that the movie takes place on a boat! (If these shots had been removed, it would've probably shaved 10 minutes off of the running time!) The special effects during the finale are really bad.
But, there's something about Plankton that's hypnotic. At first, the film's bombastic nature and sheer ineptitude are mesmerizing. But, once the monster's arrive, the movie becomes a disgusting roller-coaster ride. There are some truly disturbing images and ideas here, and to say that Plankton is sick and twisted would be an uderstatement. The mixture of practical special effects make-up with stop-motion animation is a welcome change to today's overuse of CGI. The monsters are particularly disgusting and unique looking. And, I usually don't mention production design in my reviews, but the interior of the ship in Plankton is very unusual. So, what we have is a really bad movie that picks up during the last 1/3 and delivers the kind of thrills that gore-hounds don't get very often these days.
But, none of this explains while Shriek Show/Media Blasters would re-release Creatures from the Abyss in a new package. The two DVDs are practically the same, except for the cover art (although both carry the "Widescream Edition" logo) and the main menu (which is actually the same on both discs, save for the title graphic). The other menus are identical. The transfer is same anamorphic transfer and the running times are identical. The only other difference is that Plankton carries a MSRP that is $5 lower than the previous release. But, if this is a simply a price-drop, then why change the title and artwork. Is Shriek Show trying to fool the buying public? I'm not sure, but considering that Creatures from the Abyss is still readily available at many on-line outlets, this re-release is an odd move.
Video
As noted above, the Plankton DVD contains the same anamorphic widescreen transfer which was found on the Creatures from the Abyss release. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1. The image is fairly sharp, but there is a great deal of grain and artifacting in some shots. The colors are OK, although they are slightly washed-out at times. Also, there are some noticeable defects from the source material, such as black spots. On the plus side, the action is easily visible in the dark scenes.
Audio
The DVD contains a Dolby Digital mono audio track. This track provides clear dialogue, and only shows a trace element of hissing. But, the track is fairly lifeless and doesn't add any ambiance to the film. A surround sound track could have only helped Plankton, especially during the attack scenes.
Extras
The extras here are the exact same as the previous release. There is a 2-minute interview with director Al Passeri (real name: Massimiliano Cerchi) (conducted in 1999), in which he discusses this film and his love of horror. He also talks about his next film, but I'm not sure it that one every materialized. There is a still gallery with 12 images, as well as an option called "Scream Access", in which one can jump straight to the gore.
Most viewers will hate Plankton, as it's cheesy horror at its worst. But, the film has an undeniable spirit and the outrageousness of the finale will enthrall horror fans. But, if you've already got Creatures from the Abyss, there's no reason to get this new release.
Even those of you who have been DVD collectors for only a short time may have experienced the dreaded practice of "double dipping", in which a home video company re-releases a DVD with a new transfer, new extras, etc., forcing the consumer to make a choice about which version to purchase, or more often, re-purchase. But, how many times has a company re-released the exact same DVD with a new title? That's the case with Shriek Show's new release of Plankton, which is simply a re-dressing of their Creatures from the Abyss DVD. Has the gimmick of disguising movies, a practice which was popular in drive-ins in the 60s and 70s, now found its way to DVD?
Plankton opens with five friends, Bobby (Michael Bon), Dorothy (Loren De Palm), Mike (Clay Rogers), Margareth (Sharon Twomey), and Julie (Ann Wolf), decide that it would be a good idea to take a motor-boat (an inflatable one at that) into the open ocean. That sounds like a good plan. Soon, night falls, and the boat runs out of gas. Fearing that they will be lost at sea, the group comes across a passing yacht and board it. They search the boat and find it to be seemingly deserted. They also discover that the boat is no pleasure-cruiser. The ship is a research vessel. In the ship's lab, they find samples of bizarre and monstrous-looking fish. But, that doesn't deter them from throwing a party! But, this party is soon interrupted, as it is revealed that the scientists on the ship were experimenting with irradiated plankton, and that anyone who comes in contact with this substance will become a hideous fish-monster. As members of the gang begin to mutate, the survivors must find a way to get off of the doomed ship.
Plankton AKA Creatures from the Abyss is a really bad movie, and carries all of the negative aspects that make it a prime example of bad EuroHorror. There's no denying that. The plot is stupid and derivative. The story is an odd combination of Piranha II, Leviathan, and Friday the 13, Part VIII. Logic doesn't exist in the film, as the characters do incredibly stupid things from the film's opening seconds. The acting is horrible and the dubbing only makes things worse. The film looks as if it were edited by someone with severe ADHD, as there is an establishing shot of the ship at least every two minutes. We can't forget that the movie takes place on a boat! (If these shots had been removed, it would've probably shaved 10 minutes off of the running time!) The special effects during the finale are really bad.
But, there's something about Plankton that's hypnotic. At first, the film's bombastic nature and sheer ineptitude are mesmerizing. But, once the monster's arrive, the movie becomes a disgusting roller-coaster ride. There are some truly disturbing images and ideas here, and to say that Plankton is sick and twisted would be an uderstatement. The mixture of practical special effects make-up with stop-motion animation is a welcome change to today's overuse of CGI. The monsters are particularly disgusting and unique looking. And, I usually don't mention production design in my reviews, but the interior of the ship in Plankton is very unusual. So, what we have is a really bad movie that picks up during the last 1/3 and delivers the kind of thrills that gore-hounds don't get very often these days.
But, none of this explains while Shriek Show/Media Blasters would re-release Creatures from the Abyss in a new package. The two DVDs are practically the same, except for the cover art (although both carry the "Widescream Edition" logo) and the main menu (which is actually the same on both discs, save for the title graphic). The other menus are identical. The transfer is same anamorphic transfer and the running times are identical. The only other difference is that Plankton carries a MSRP that is $5 lower than the previous release. But, if this is a simply a price-drop, then why change the title and artwork. Is Shriek Show trying to fool the buying public? I'm not sure, but considering that Creatures from the Abyss is still readily available at many on-line outlets, this re-release is an odd move.
Video
As noted above, the Plankton DVD contains the same anamorphic widescreen transfer which was found on the Creatures from the Abyss release. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1. The image is fairly sharp, but there is a great deal of grain and artifacting in some shots. The colors are OK, although they are slightly washed-out at times. Also, there are some noticeable defects from the source material, such as black spots. On the plus side, the action is easily visible in the dark scenes.
Audio
The DVD contains a Dolby Digital mono audio track. This track provides clear dialogue, and only shows a trace element of hissing. But, the track is fairly lifeless and doesn't add any ambiance to the film. A surround sound track could have only helped Plankton, especially during the attack scenes.
Extras
The extras here are the exact same as the previous release. There is a 2-minute interview with director Al Passeri (real name: Massimiliano Cerchi) (conducted in 1999), in which he discusses this film and his love of horror. He also talks about his next film, but I'm not sure it that one every materialized. There is a still gallery with 12 images, as well as an option called "Scream Access", in which one can jump straight to the gore.
Most viewers will hate Plankton, as it's cheesy horror at its worst. But, the film has an undeniable spirit and the outrageousness of the finale will enthrall horror fans. But, if you've already got Creatures from the Abyss, there's no reason to get this new release.
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