Good movie but grossly overrated

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Otherwise known as 'The Mermaid Chronicles 1: She Creature', this enjoyable TV movie has credited, as executive producer, the mighty Samuel Z. Arkoff, who has enjoyed a similar role on a huge volume of films with sci-fi/horror connotations. Sadly, he was to die shortly after completion of this.The rich, plummy voiced Aubrey Morris, whose career is made with playing eccentrics, played Mr. Woolrich who has imprisoned in his dark and gloomy castle, a mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt) in a water-tight cage. Showman Angus (Rufus Sewell) sees the business opportunities available in owning such a creature himself and shortly, she is part of his exhibition. Angus's partner who gets closer to the She-Creature than she might like, Lily is played by Carla Gugino. All four are excellent in their respective roles, and are aided by a terrific supporting cast.SPOILER – the fully manifested creature is pleasingly CGI-free and only occasionally betrays the project's modest budget. There are some well-conveyed gory moments too, but this is in the main a psychological horror which, although talky in parts, is highly enjoyable. The ending may not be totally surprising, but it is pretty satisfying.

SHE CREATURE is one in a handful of remakes of '50s B-movies released under the Creature Features banner. The results are a mixed bag, ranging from the execrable (TEENAGE CAVEMAN) to the merely bad (EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). SHE CREATURE falls into the latter camp, which is a shame as it has the potential to be a genuinely good modern B-movie. The problems are those that frequently occur in the low budget television movie genre: poor direction and a lack of focus in the plot; limited funds available for locations (much of the film takes place on one single set); clichés (monster-vision shown with jerky camera-work and a red filter, a last-reel critter looking much like the queen from ALIENS) and a somewhat derivative script.There are pluses, of course, and the casting alone is a highlight of the film. Rufus Sewell is one of my favourite leading men when he has the chance to be, and he acquits himself well here. Carla Gugino brings warmth and integrity to her role, as well as a very good accent, and she's by far the best thing in the production. Reno Wilson makes for a very imposing zombie in some early moments as well. There are also lots of frustrated plot elements that COULD have been good: the heroine's psychic link with the creature; the twist ending; the character motivations. In the end, little is done with these and the film becomes a run-of-the-mill monster-on-the-loose yarn, benefiting from some Stan Winston CGI effects but lacking in any originality whatsoever. There's virtually no gore or action to enjoy and while the titular mermaid makes for quite an alluring character, SHE CREATURE is an example of wasted opportunity.

This is a brilliant movie, because, is a fresh subject hardly ever use in horror movie. Too bad they didn't made a second part, the first left me longing for more.Husband and wife circus owners, give a ride to an eccentric old gentleman who came to see the mermaid show. At his mansion he shows them his mermaid. Husband abduct the mermaid. He plan to take her to U.S.A. On the voyage the mermaid makes a meal of the crew, and believe it or not get wife pregnant. Mermaid has her own agenda, and take them for a tour of her own. Turning a beautiful self, into a horrible monster with one thing on her mind human flesh, and survival of her species. But there was only one survival, who live to tell the "tail,". What happened to the mermaid offspring, well that is made for part 2, however sadly part two was never made.The acting, character and story are worth watching, it delivers and the special effects too.

I had little expectation for this movie. In general I don't like time piece flicks especially when it comes to horror movies. But this one was quite good. Excellent production values, good acting. Somewhat of an original and intriguing story. The mermaid was very sexy and the actress who plays it, Rya Kihlstedt, did an outstanding job of playing the part even though she didn't have any lines to read; she's quite mesmerizing to watch. It helps that she's topless, too. Gugino does a nice job as well. There is some interesting sexual tension between the mermaid and Gugino's character but that never pans out. The final act goes into full monster mode and is the weakest part. The mermaid leading the boat to her lair would have been interesting if the producers hadn't opted to turn her into an all out monster. It would have been great to see the boat boarded by dozens of beautiful naked mermaids who carry their victims onto the island. This movie could have been improved with more nudity. I'd like to see some sequels to this.