'The Rig' DVD Review

A by-the-numbers aquatic creature feature.

Jim (William Forsythe) is the no-nonsense boss of an oceanic oil rig whose daughter happens to be secretly sleeping with one of his employees, Dobbs (Scott Martin). No, this isn't Armageddon II; rather, the threat this time around is a sea creature unearthed when Jim's team drills into the ocean floor.

Even if you haven't seen the film, you know what happens next: the monster boards the rig and stalks the workers...one...by...one. To make matters worse, the rig in the path of an oncoming hurricane, meaning that a rescue party won't be coming any time soon.

The Rig is a been-there-done-that direct-to-video aquatic monster movie that should be in heavy rotation on SyFy. It's passable entertainment if you have nothing to do (and have maybe had a few drinks), but there's little here to recommend beyond the appearances of veteran actors like Forsythe and Art LaFleur who are better than this material.

The story adapts elements from better, more popular movies: the aforementioned (and admittedly not very good) Armageddon to The Abyss to the heaviest influence, Alien. However, the final product is more in the line of an Alien rip-off like DeepStar Six.

The matter-of-fact action generates little emotion -- either drama or fear -- and even at just 94 minutes, it feels about 15 minutes too long. The final 10 minutes or so is painfully dragged out and unnecessary. Creature features like this can often get by with a cool monster design, but despite some nice CGI landscapes, The Rig's monster element is ridiculous. The best is hidden in shadows for most of the film, and with good reason: it's a Sleestak! Unintentional laughs abound when it attacks.

The DVD

Special features include commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Movie: C-
DVD: C

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the distributor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.