2010: MOBY DICK
(not rated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This modernized, high-tech adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic book “Moby Dick” stars Barry Bostwick as Captain Ahab, who is in command of a renegade submarine, obsessed with finding a massive prehistoric whale that maimed him. A beautiful scientist joins his crew to help bring down the massive white whale.
WHAT I LIKED
I love the movies from The Asylum. Sure, they’re cheesy and silly, and they’re almost always a knock-off of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. But the steady stream of these films on the SyFy channel are tons of fun. You can’t take them seriously, and you’ve gotta just have fun with them.
“2010: Moby Dick” borrows elements from other monster movies like “Sharktopus” and “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus,” namely the bad CGI attack of a massive sea creature. It’s silly and it’s fun, and it actually plays better than most of the Asylum knock-offs.
I commend Barry Bostwick for giving his all as Captain Ahab. He’s not just collecting a mortgage payment here. He’s actually acting, which adds a level of quality to this film. The man is game to have fun, and he helps make a fun film.
Right now, “2010: Moby Dick” is clocking in as my favorite Asylum monster movie after “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus”… and that’s saying something.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Well, there’s all the standard silliness in an Asylum film. The effects are ridiculously cheap, but they’re fun. The script isn’t exactly classic literature, even if the original story idea is. And Renee O’Connor from “Xena: Warrior Princess” seems a bit lost in the film. Thank god Barry Bostwick is there to save the day.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a making-of featurette and a gag reel.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of modern schlock films, but awesome modern schlock films.