epalmer The Watch Below (1966) is a novel by science fiction author James White about a colony of humans stranded underwater in a sunken WWII freighter surviving due to air pockets. Sound familiar? The later half of the book deals with an invasion by aquatic aliens.

threehundred60decrees These might not be spoilers, but better safe than sorry."The Goliath Awaits" appears to be loosely based on the science fiction novel "The Watch Below" by James White. In it, a few passengers and crew of a trading vessel sunk in World War II manage to survive because their supplies include pedal-operated electric generators, light bulbs, bean or pea plants for food and air replenishment, and a huge trove of powdered eggs and powdered milk. Water is collected from condensation and, if I remember correctly, also distilled from brine somehow. To pass the time and keep sane they play a memory game, recalling every detail of their lives including everything they've ever read, seen, and learned. And so they pass on their knowledge to their children who pass it on to theirs.Unlike in "Goliath" there is a science fiction element to the story: 150 years after the sinking their descendants are rescued by aquatic aliens who fled their dying world hoping to find refuge in Earth's oceans. The crew of the spaceship were similar to the denizens of the wreck in that they were descendants of the original crew, who had discovered that repeatedly entering suspended animation caused crippling brain damage. The shipwrecked Earthlings use their well-trained memories to learn the aliens' language and plead their new friends' case to wary Earth authorities. (The novel all along cross-cuts between similar events in the wreck and the spaceship, such as the breaking off of rival factions and their later reconciliation.)A major technical flaw in a story like "Goliath Awaits" is that a sinking ship is basically a falling object. The Titanic, for instance, did not settle on the ocean bottom 12,000 ft. down, it SLAMMED into it. I don't have the figures for how fast it was determined to have been moving just before impact, but these vessels are found lying in pieces. (The ship of "The Watch Below" was in much shallower water and was visible from low-flying observation aircraft.) If the people on board aren't killed or badly injured in the crash it is doubtful that there would be enough integrity in the hull to maintain air pressure for long.The movie was diverting if predictable. The lack of pallor of the people and the good condition of their clothes was an omission typical of American TV of 1981. Ridley Scott-type production design had not yet penetrated television and wouldn't really start to until MTV's influence was felt (in shows like "Miami Vice"). It takes more time and money, so the financiers would not budget for it until forced to do so by competition.

Reno-007 I remember this when it premiered in Nov. of 1981 when I was in the 7th grade. I remember the specifics very well, however other reviewers are wrong about a few of the facts. First off Christopher Lee's character was NOT the captain, he was the third officer of the ship and was in charge of the engine room. Second, the movie was not made to be a horror flick. I remember the T.V. Guide writeup about it then and it is a Mystery-Suspense story. Overall a very cool movie that had an interesting premise of what if? What if the Queen Mary sank or the Queen Elizabeth sank and what would the people be like after 40 years of isolation from the world. Lee is the most noteable when it comes to the acting. I like the other actors in the film but I will say that Mark Harmon, who is a good actor, in this one really overacted a few times. All in all a great story, decent acting and cool sets.

xeresa This was the film that first introduced me to the actor, Duncan Regehr, who played the leader of the Bow people. His performance and that of Christopher Lee as the conflicted leader of the sunken Goliath were the only bright spots in this sci-fi thriller. It could have been a great picture for the idea was fascinating, but the writing was heavy-handed. Even such top-notched character actors as Jeanette Nolan, John McIntire,John Carradine, and Jean Marsh were hampered by the insipid dialogue. I love Frank Gorshin but his performance here was a comic book caricature and unworthy of him. Both Mark Harmon and Emma Samms were pretty to look at, but bland. Duncan Regehr came across as sexy and powerful, and one of the film's implausibilities was that the heroine would prefer Mark Harmon over him! Duncan Regehr and Christopher Lee, were the only actors who gave a three-dimensional performance to what was written as one-dimensional characters. Still it's not a bad picture-- it is a interesting picture, but not a compelling one!