Just what the world needs, another lame cable movie about the Bermuda Triangle. In this one, three friends - Luke Dylan-from-"Beverly Hills 90210" Perry, Dan Perry-from-"Veronica's Closet" Cortese and David another-guy-from...er...well... Hewlett - go on their annual fishing trip, this year to the fictional island of San Sebastian on the cusp of the Bermuda Triangle. They, Perry's girlfriend, the captain of the rustbucket they're forced to rent for the excursion, and said cap's first mate (Olivia Karen-from-"The Wonder Years" D'Abo) soon find themselves Sailing Into Danger; oh yes, did I also mention that Cortese has been having some strange dreams about himself and someone who looks remarkably like D'Abo aboard a ship that vanished mysteriously inside the Triangle more than 60 years ago?
Not only is it all about as frightening as an episode of "The Groovie Ghoulies," but it's incredibly badly written - you get the impression that writer Ted Humphrey made it all up as he (and Bing Lowenstein, who shares story credit) went along with no regard for sense or logic, even on the movie's own terms (at one point Cortese and Hewlett take a picture of a voodoo ceremony with the participants failing to come out in the picture - you expect the ceremony to have some kind of bearing on the plot, but it never does). Director Lewis Teague and his cast try hard to hide how imbecilic and dull this all is, but they fail; it gets less watchable as it progresses, and there's something wrong with any thriller where the scariest bit is Luke Perry getting a slight cut on the arm. Plus, the special effects aren't exactly of "Titanic" standards - in fact, they aren't even of "Stingray" standards.
The most interesting thing about the movie for me was the location shooting in Barbados, because I lived there for many years - and while I did get a kick out of recognising various locations, the film's no advertisement for the country (which, by the way, is nowhere near Bermuda). The people and institutions (including "Film Barbados") are thanked in the end credits - but I suspect anyone living there who's seen this will not be too grateful. Making "The Haunting" (Jan DeBont version) look like "The Haunting" (good version), and with a totally ridiculous climax and finale, "The Triangle" does bring up one question - why does Jamaica get all the good ones?
(Other projects using Barbados as a location - the horrid Michael Caine/Roger Moore comedy "Bullseye!", "The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and according to the location links two "Boob Cruise" videos - hopefully without the knowledge of the locals, given that the island officially frowns on stuff like that. See what I mean about Jamaica?... Although Danni Ashe would certainly have livened "The Triangle" up.)
Not only is it all about as frightening as an episode of "The Groovie Ghoulies," but it's incredibly badly written - you get the impression that writer Ted Humphrey made it all up as he (and Bing Lowenstein, who shares story credit) went along with no regard for sense or logic, even on the movie's own terms (at one point Cortese and Hewlett take a picture of a voodoo ceremony with the participants failing to come out in the picture - you expect the ceremony to have some kind of bearing on the plot, but it never does). Director Lewis Teague and his cast try hard to hide how imbecilic and dull this all is, but they fail; it gets less watchable as it progresses, and there's something wrong with any thriller where the scariest bit is Luke Perry getting a slight cut on the arm. Plus, the special effects aren't exactly of "Titanic" standards - in fact, they aren't even of "Stingray" standards.
The most interesting thing about the movie for me was the location shooting in Barbados, because I lived there for many years - and while I did get a kick out of recognising various locations, the film's no advertisement for the country (which, by the way, is nowhere near Bermuda). The people and institutions (including "Film Barbados") are thanked in the end credits - but I suspect anyone living there who's seen this will not be too grateful. Making "The Haunting" (Jan DeBont version) look like "The Haunting" (good version), and with a totally ridiculous climax and finale, "The Triangle" does bring up one question - why does Jamaica get all the good ones?
(Other projects using Barbados as a location - the horrid Michael Caine/Roger Moore comedy "Bullseye!", "The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and according to the location links two "Boob Cruise" videos - hopefully without the knowledge of the locals, given that the island officially frowns on stuff like that. See what I mean about Jamaica?... Although Danni Ashe would certainly have livened "The Triangle" up.)