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.

moofyieman When I saw this mini-series in 1981 I was very young and it made a real impact on me. The idea of a ship that sunk 42 years ago (1981-1939) and still had survivors is a great idea for a movie, or mini-series in this case. As a viewer you have to buy a lot of unbelievable stuff to still enjoy it. First the enormous pressure at a depth of 300 meters to which the ship sank in matter of minutes. Somehow this pressure was no issue for all the people aboard but for the divers in 1981 it was because they have to compress and decompress for days! Then somehow the ship didn't leak at all at this depth and didn't so after 42 years in saltwater! Air, drink water, food and electricity made possible by the genius leader of the survivors. If you buy in to that, you are set to go. Oh, and there are the bow people who can survive by stealing from the others for years despite being hunted down with guns. How difficult would it be to just bar the entrances to the bow? Then, nobody - NOBODY- is happy to see the divers after 42 years. The leaders OK, they have their little empire to lose, but the hundreds of people who are treated as slaves? No cheers, laughs, clapping or happiness at all? And the first two questions what comes to mind, -who won the war and how is this rescue mission going to be organized- are addressed only after a day or so.BUT, as a film lover you must have a flexible mind and then a very interesting en nice story will unfold. If some producer would remake this movie, it surely must address the plausibility I wrote above. The story of people stranded together making a new society with all the good and bad human qualities is worth any storytelling. Therefore it is after 35 still a good story to tell and to watch with good actors like a young Mark Harmon and Christopher Lee.

glentom1 Considering the low quality of TV movies, this one has to be considered one of the better ones. I just watched the commercial free 3 hr 20 minute version.Its a great premise, even with all of its holes. Mark Harmon is an incredibly poor actor (check out all the scenes where he has to have his shirt off) who apparently was being showcased in this movie. But the movie survives in spite of him.Christopher Lee and Frank Gorshin carry out their roles quite well. The writers do a credible job of explaining how certain unlikely events might have taken place, and there is enough of a plot to keep things moving. Plus its a fun family affair, where you can laugh at some of the silly lines, yet still hang in there waiting to see what comes next.I would not recommend renting or buying it, but if you have nothing else to watch and 3+ hours to kill, its decent fare.

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.