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DEEP CORE

UFO has apparently come to fill the shoes of Paramount's former made-for-video supplier, the troubled Full Moon Pictures. Responsible for titles such as VELOCITY TRAP, PYTHON and ANTIBODY, UFO has gained a reputation for producing visually impressive fare that often belies its independent, low-budget roots. A picture like DEEP CORE, while no masterpiece, puts the typical Full Moon project to shame simply in terms of polish and name talent recognition.

This particular film does feature several familiar faces. Craig Sheffer, best remembered for A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, stars as Brian Goodman, a scientist who has developed an experimental device capable of tunneling deep within the Earth's mantle. Goodman's partner, the mildly seedy Morrisey (Harry Van Gorkum, GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS), continues with the experiments even when Goodman warns that they could cause planet-wide devastation. However, when Morrisey realizes that his exceptionally seedy business associate Simmons (James Russo, THE NINTH GATE) has promised the new technology to the Chinese military, he must work with Goodman to prevent catastrophe.

But it may be too late, for already the Earth has begun to tear itself apart as a result of Morrisey's experiments. Islands are sinking in to the sea, cities are crumbling -- and DEEP CORE is acquitting itself surprisingly well at this point, for the catastrophe scenes, while brief, are fairly well accomplished through the magic of CGI.

The multi-talented Dr. Goodman (two Ph.D.s, a taste for whiskey and an eye for the ladies) agrees to help his erstwhile partner in saving the planet by heading the team that will delve deep into the Earth's crust. Utilizing a sort of tunneling land-submarine, Goodman is joined by three STAR TREK alumni - Dr. Allison Saunders (Terry Farrell of DEEP SPACE NINE), demolitions expert Rodney Bedecker (Wil Wheaton of THE NEXT GENERATION) and geologist Sam Dalton (Bruce McGill, who has guest-starred on VOYAGER). This crack team of washed-up Trekkers is mankind's one last hope for survival! Gulp.

DEEP CORE finally gets going in full when the team heads for the "center of the Earth." Technically speaking, of course, that's not what is really going on in this story, but the film takes such a cartoonish approach to the subject matter that it might as well be described that way. The latter half of the film is fun, with several set pieces that keep the viewer interested even when a happy-ending outcome for the main storyline is all but assured. One moment, in particular, sees anti-Wesley Crusher fans finally getting what they've hoped for since THE NEXT GENERATION's debut in 1987.

Sheffer tries hard to play his hero role straight, while adding just enough humor to make it bearable. Terry Farrell, alas, is saddled with some truly awful dialogue and the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a few sloppy edits that only compound her awkward line readings. Wil Wheaton continues to work at wiping away his squeaky clean STAR TREK image, but the poor guy is still baby-faced enough that it's hard to picture him as a rough and tough sort. Bruce McGill actually comes across best here, playing the resident good ol' boy sidekick and having a ball all the way.

The DVD features a full-frame transfer, with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo Surround audio options. Additionally, an audio commentary with director Rodney McDonald and editor Randy Carter is included. Their talk isn't very entertaining one hopes for a more humorous round when the film is of B quality like this but it is technically informative. A still gallery and cast and crew bios are also included, as is a trailer for the film. The latter gives away all the climactic moments from the film, though, so be sure to watch it last!

DEEP CORE makes for a worthwhile rental if you're a connoisseur of straight-to-video fare. You get what the packaging offers with this one second-string actors in a second-string action flick with second-string effects work. But it's mostly good fun, and that's rarely the case nowadays even with first-string productions.