JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Micransix Crappy film

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Mark Turner While most movies like to expand the views of the audience taking them to gorgeous vistas on seaboard coasts or to the wide ranging deserts around the world, other tend to compartmentalize the situations they place their characters in. Some of these have resulted in some truly inspiring films that make the best use of their locales. Consider ALIEN as an example, an entire movie located on a spaceship where you have no place to escape from. Now make that an even smaller location, remove the danger from a creature and continue with the thought of danger sitting next to you. If you do you might be watching THE CHAMBER.With a small cast and an even smaller location to shoot from director writer Ben Parker takes the feeling of claustrophobia up a notch and combines it with a thriller story line to make an effective film. Mats (Johannes Kuhnke) is the operator of a small deep sea submarine aboard a Norwegian ship in the Yellow Sea off the coast of North Korea. The ship and submersible has been hired out for a secret program and he's not happy about it. Knowing every square inch of the sub, he knows it's long overdue for retirement and being required to take 3 passengers on board is not safe but he has no choice.The three person team arrives on ship led by Edwards (Charlotte Salt). Accompanying her are Parks (James McCardle) and Denholm (Elliot Levey). Mats is not given any information about what their operation involves or what they are searching for, he's simply told to drive the sub into the designated area they tell him to. He tries to begin more than one conversation with the trio in the hopes he can figure out what they're doing. All fall short and they instead tell him to concentrate on his job. He explains to them the dangers of the craft, how old it is, how the least little thing could rupture the already weak hull. They listen but later it becomes all too apparent that they weren't paying attention.Eventually the reason for their being there is revealed. A spy vehicle was downed and the location where it landed on the ocean floor is within the waters of North Korea. The vehicle contained information vital to the protection of the US as well as a program that if it fell into the hands of the North Koreans could decimate the security of the country. Their job is to download the information and destroy the vehicle if possible.It doesn't take long before things go sideways. This starts when they find out the ship above has been boarded. Best case scenario it moved off, worst case it was destroyed. With no contact with the ship it means the means by which they can access and locate the downed vehicle is limited but they do achieve that goal as well as get what they need. But a situation rises where they're damaged and the sub is now turned upside down and resting on the top where the pressure release is located. With only two suits that would allow them to escape the question of who survives is called into question.Shot in the minuscule set of the inside of the tiny sub makes the feeling of claustrophobia an additional character to this movie. It sits there perched on your shoulder with every scene in the film. The tension between characters can be felt as well with Mats trying to be the voice of reason, Edwards the die-hard mission is of the greatest importance character, Parks the most unpredictable character thinking only of himself and Denholm that most logical of the three team members. That combination of location and volatility among the characters makes you squirm as you watch things go from bad to worse, wondering if any of them will make it out alive.I've read reviews of this film that were highly critical but those condemnations seem to be misplaced. Yes there are definitely some plot holes that could have been patched but they're not major enough to ruin the film. And if you go into a movie that takes place on a mini-sub thinking there's going to be non-stop action that's not a rational thought.Instead we're presented with a thriller that holds your interest even though nearly the entire film takes place in what amounts to a room perhaps not larger than a large bathroom. To be able to keep the suspense going in that amount of space, to be able to act and react as a character in that small location is an achievement. The fear that each one feels is palpable. And while some characters might annoy you with their behavior one has to place oneself in the shoes of those characters and wonder how you might behave given the situation.While not a great film the movie is entertaining and will keep you guessing as to who if any will survive. It provides enough information to hold your interests from start to finish and keeps you wondering from one minute to the next. It might not be a movie you'll want to add to your collection but it's definitely worth watching.

imatosser182 A steely looking Tom Hanks lookalike lends his expertise and sea craft to a small special ops team on a recovery mission.We soon realise he is just a proto-main character and he quickly makes way for the female team leader to take charge of the storyline and screen. The mission quickly becomes a fight for survival as she makes one cretinous decision after another.Eventually she is challenged by her right hand man who is three times her size and has already knocked out a similarly sized character with a single punch. This is no problem for her though as she rips his shoulder out of it's socket then strangles him with her bare hands, but not before delivering some edgy put downs.In a final twist, her henchman rises from the dead and attacks Tom Hanks who by this time has been reduced to a useless damsel in distress. Not to worry. Our tiny heroine is on hand to save the day and kill him a second time! By this point I got the impression the audience was supposed to be rooting for her, which wasn't easy after her moronic actions had effectively killed everyone on board.Inevitably, the female is the only survivor and ends up stranded in the middle of the ocean. Couldn't have happened to a better person.Great if you're still not tired of the slowly dwindling feminist/sjw agenda.

Andrew Llewellyn As far as debut features go, this is one of the best. You can tell it has a low budget, but what Ben Parker manages to achieve with that low budget is great. In my opinion, it's up there with the likes of El Mariachi for making the most of it's little funding. It is by no means a perfect movie, but where it throws around the words "tense" and "claustrophobic", it delivers 100%. Ben Parker is a director to look out for.The soundtrack, provided by James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers, is good too. Adds quite a bit to the atmosphere of the movie, even if the volume of it could have been lowered a little in places. Again, it's a great first soundtrack for James, even if he has been in the music industry since the late 80's/early 90's. Hopefully this won't be his only one.Seriously, ignore the naysayers and check this one out for yourself.

kosmasp I don't think I have to tell you, that if you have claustrophobia, you probably shouldn't watch this. On the other hand, maybe you like to face your fears. This is a thriller of course, that really drives off of certain things. Especially the fact, that we as viewers know as little as the driver of the vehicle.You may have seen him in other productions, especially a drama surrounding an avalanche (great movie), but here he has to endure a different kind of struggle. And while there are certain clichés that will get picked up and carried (no puns intended by the way), the overall movie is more than decent enough. If you like thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, you definitely can watch this one too