7/19/20 - Sea Fever (2020) - 6-/10

It lacks real scares and immense depth, but it creates a wonderful realistic and vibrant tone with fleshed out characters, something I feel has been missing from the recent horror films I have seen. It does a great deal with very little time and opportunity, maximizing the expository moments, character flourishes, and dramatic setups that it can cram into these 90 min. For a horror film, I probably would have liked a little more terror and body scares, but it provides adequate tension and a suffused story all around.

Screenplay wise, Neasa Hardiman does an admirable job of providing acuity and pathos to every crew member on the ship, provides enough backstory to drive their aims, and allows for a surprising amount of non-token diversity. It is all actually quite impressive, compared to generic teenage schlock that we often get.

Similarly, you don’t find many stupid horror cliche decisions or actions. If anything, it all feels pretty sensible, which helps once the “sea fever” begins. They haven’t lost the viewers’ respect or believability. I also liked the fatalistic unknown ending. It’s not out for answers but just trying to do what is right and logical.

Standard in a way, but not stupid or dramatically cheap. It puts forth the effort and expertise; definitely investing enough to keep you locked in for its watery entirety.