This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Paranormal Paradise
Plot Overview
Three college alumni Tommy Devane (Dan Cortese,) Stu Sheridan (Luke
Perry,) and Gus Gruber (David Hewlett) embark on their annual vacation
together to an exotic locale. This
year it's to charter a deep sea fishing vessel
out of San Sebastián Island in the Caribbean. Tommy is an
overworked lawyer—falling asleep at his desk—who'd
moved to cold, windy Chicago. He wants a break from the climate and
to recharge his batteries. Stu has overextended himself
on a start-up and wants to forget his troubles back home and show
off his trophy fiancée Julia “Jules” Lee (Polly
Shannon) to his buddies. Gus has spotty employment. He has developed
an interest in the paranormal and wants to indulge his curiosity
about the Bermuda Triangle.
Jules has trouble fitting into a “guys' beer-swilling, fishing weekend” (“This isn't fun, anymore”,) but she relents (“I don't wanna be a drag on the trip”) and lets them continue.
When their vacation is over, Tommy—falling asleep in the boat—is more tired than before he left and has a wicked sunburn, Stu is the trophy hanging from the wall, and Gus got scared to death by a ghost.
Ideology
There's a special section in the middle of the Bible called the wisdom
books. They're layered by perspective. First comes the book of Job,
which is a long dispute that concludes God's wisdom is above man's
and he doesn't tell us everything. Then comes the book of Psalms
presenting wisdom in lyrics. Proverbs is next, for the most part the
wisdom a father passes on to his son, but the next-to-the-last chapter
(30) is street smarts that one's friends might impart, and the last chapter
(31) is the wisdom a mother passes on to her son. Then comes
Ecclesiastes preaching wisdom got by experience. Finally, there's the Song
of Solomon, the wisdom spouted by someone in love.
“The Triangle” a buddy
movie presents the street smarts (Prov. 30:1) one guy might pass on to
his buddy if he were so inclined. See, (Prov. 30:7-9) “Two things have
I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from
me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with
food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who
is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my
God in vain.” Gus got tripped up with vain superstition, he
took a photo of a voodoo ceremony that was not captured on his camera
in the frame. That's to say nothing about the ghost ship they encountered
at sea. Both Stu and Tommy fed lines (i.e. lied) to girls. Stu dissembled to Jules about his
financial insolvency, and Tommy made a quip to first mate Charlotte
'Charlie' Duval (Olivia d'Abo) regarding his non-existent lifeguard
experience. If one wants to avoid the “dense yellow haze”
encountered on this trip, he's better off avoiding vanity and lies;
they cause brain fog.
Too much wealth or too little for sustenance can each result in a fugue. When Stu struck it rich scavenging treasure from a derelict luxury liner according to the law of the sea, he lost his religion, became unhinged, went around the bend like a madman without any accountability.
The skipper Captain Louis Morgan (Dorian Harewood)
was a black man barely scraping by with his rust bucket the Blue
Parrot on tourist leavings. After some ill-advised gambling, he
couldn't afford to turn down an opportune charter despite his iffy
fuel pump. They were all in the same boat when out at sea Capt. Morgan's motor gave out (“Fuel
pump's busted,”) his radio quit (“Radio's shot,”)
and the navigation went haywire (“We can't tell where we
are,”) causing him to declare, “G.d. thing shorted out,
I think.” Stu also swore (“Damn”) when the ATM had refused
disbursement of cash. Poverty breeds stress-induced blasphemy.
Production Values
“” (2001) was directed by Lewis Teague. Its teleplay was written by Ted Humphrey from a story by Bing Howenstein & Ted Humphrey. Cast exposure was pretty evenly divided with passable performances by Luke Perry, Dan Cortese, David Hewlett, Polly Shannon, Olivia d'Abo, and Dorian Harewood. The plot resembles that of “The Shining.” This one was made for TV. For a similar movie house tale, see “Ghost Ship” (2002.)
It was rated Canada: PG. It contains a couple curse words, a swimsuit scene, and lots of kissing. The special effects were pervasive but unobtrusive. Ric Waite's cinematography was most keen. Lawrence Shragge's score was eerie. The characters were sympathetic. It was shot in paradisal Barbados.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
I liked this movie because it was spooky but not so much as to terrorize my dreams. It was steadily paced and the tension taut until the very end. See it for its predictable scares.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for children: Suitable for children with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: Don't watch this movie alone. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.