The Rift (1990) - 'Aliens' it is not

'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. 

5/10