Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of The Little Mermaid, we’re counting down our favorite underwater movies! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
When I was in college, a group of friends wanted to go see Poseidon. It was a hard pass for me because none of them realized Poseidon was a remake of The Poseidon Adventure, one of the quintessential disaster movies of the 1970s. It’s a ridiculous movie that you can’t help but love. Passengers on the SS Poseidon deal with the ship being turned upside down due to a tsunami hitting the broadside of the ship. In order to survive, a group decides against staying put and take matters into their own hands to climb towards the bottom of the ship, now at the surface. The group, lead to Frank Scott (Gene Hackman), must peril through the various layers of the ship to reach the surface. The Poseidon Adventure is a masterclass in tension and follows a group of survivors you love. The end is devastating, while also offering a stark reminder of the power of faith and redemption. It is a must-watch for anyone that is a fan of the disaster movie genre. (Mike Hilty)
Are you ready for the quirkiest journey under the sea ever put to film? Well… if it is quirky, it must be Wes Anderson. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is considered one of the most inconsistent of Anderson’s filmography, but there is so much greatness under the surface. More literally, the stop motion world of the ocean, brought to life by Anderson and Henry Selick, is breathtaking. The hunt for a Jaguar Shark is an epic one which ends in a breathtakingly beautiful and emotional catharsis. But the journey there is filled with thieving, pettiness, pirates, and Jeff Goldblum in a speedo. Anderson swings wild with the French covers of David Bowie hits, the powder blue outfits, and the hip electronic score that just might be more hipster than Anderson himself. There is the symmetry we love, all the actors we expect, and a leading turn for Bill Murray that feels all the awkwardness and loneliness that we should expect. The Life Aquatic is a gem that is worth a rewatch, and an essential piece of Anderson’s cinematic journey. (Shane Conto)
If James Cameron has one signature trait, it’s that he has a fascination with water, and loves putting large bodies of it in many of his films. From Titanic to Avatar: The Way of Water, you can’t escape it. But this fascination first made its debut with 1989’s The Abyss. This blending of action/adventure, alien sci-fi, survival thriller, and heartfelt drama captivated viewers with its brilliant visual effects and unique visual aesthetic that took audiences to the bottom of the ocean floor. For many, it was the first time ever seeing the ocean in such a light. It’s both a stunning and terrifying feat that Cameron was able to capture everything that this movie encompasses, and very few movies (even to this day) have ever portrayed the power of water in such a fashion. Beyond the sheer impressive scope of the picture, it is still a highly entertaining movie with some fun characters, and a great moral compass. The Abyss is a good film that deserves more eyes on it, especially the Special Edition. Now, if Cameron would only make a 4K update of the film that’s readily available… (Heath Lynch)
Spy thrillers are, by nature, already high-strung affairs. Take that subgenre, add the claustrophobic setting of a submarine, and sprinkle in some Cold War tension, and you’ve got a recipe for success. The Hunt for Red October was the first of the Jack Ryan adaptations, based on the iconic character from Tom Clancy. Alec Baldwin originated the role of the CIA analyst on the silver screen, and here is tasked with ferreting out the intentions of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), who’s making a beeline for the U.S. — is he a threat or a defector? The underwater setting is an asset here. There’s something about having to try to guess intentions based on just dots on the sonar and the steady rhythm of the beeps that increases the sense of unease that the story is attempting to build. It’s boosted by a veritable who’s who of recognizable character actors, and when a character is in the discussion as one of a legend’s best, as Ramius is for Connery, that can’t be taken lightly. There’s a reason this film launched a fleet of Clancy adaptations and copies. It may have been first, but it’s still what other Clancy adaptations are measured against, even more than 30 years later. (Jake Bourgeois)
At its heart, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a cathartic goodbye to Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, exploring how his family and allies grieve and protect themselves from outside threats. The major outside threat in the film is Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of the underwater civilization of Talokan. Post-Endgame, this was probably the most compelling antagonist that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has presented — and the underwater culture is a big part of that. It looks beautiful, and the creature design of the residents of Talokan are creative, particularly showcasing how they’ve evolved for when they have to step above the surface. The connection to Mayan culture adds some historical depth to their backstory and helps make this underwater culture one of the best additions in the recent MCU. (Jake Bourgeois)
Finally, we got James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water! Much of the main cast from the first film returned to their respective roles. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have a family! Their children are Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), hard-headed younger brother Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss). They also have adopted children, Spider (Jack Champion), a human teen who was born on Pandora, and Kiri, the biological daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). The Way of Water isn’t afraid to center the plot on more interesting characters and its mesmerizing visual effects. It manages to reinforce crucial plot points. Cameron drops political undertones focusing on environmentalism and ecological terrorism. The beautiful rainbows, sunsets, and environment really highlight Pandora’s beauty better than the first one. Cameron pulls no punches on chaotic action, with an early on an RDA cargo shipment. The destruction can make any viewer get taken aback. There is quite a bit that needs to be said of drill Sergeant Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who is after the Sullys for personal revenge. Lang shows a lot of swagger with his character, thanks to a new Na’vi body of his own. The Way of Water’s storyline and visual effects really pay off and need to be praised. (Christian Grullon)
Released unceremoniously on Disney+ as movie theaters were beginning to reopen in 2021, Luca was, rather unfortunately, met with very little of fanfare that Pixar films have come to expect. Telling the story of Luca (Jacob Tremblay), a young sea monster living off the coast of Italy who yearns to explore the surface world, the film takes classic tropes of monster movies and coming-of-age stories and infuses them with the classic Pixar charm. The visuals and animation are stunningly beautiful throughout, with vibrant underwater sequences and a gorgeously designed Italian town, and the character design is more cartoonish and stylized than most of Pixar’s modern offerings have been, allowing for some unique and expressive characters. The story is deeply moving and full of heart, and with all the pasta scenes, this is easily the hungriest an animated film has made me since Ratatouille. It may not be the best movie Pixar’s made, but I’d still put it in the upper half of their impressive catalog. (Jake Hjort)
I don’t remember the first time I saw The Little Mermaid — the story of Ariel, a young mermaid who wants to fit in the human world — but I remember the times after. Since life under the sea seems lacking, Ariel yearns to be just like the rest, and falls in love with Prince Eric against the wishes of her father and ruler of Atlantica, King Triton. To make the situation worse, Ariel goes to the worst sea witch manageable, Ursula, who grants her wish, but at a price. Over 30 years since its release, this classic still holds up thanks to the beautiful underwater animation where the sea comes to life. I always wanted to believe that mermaids were a thing (sadly, they’re not). Also, this is the closest I’ll ever get to seeing what lives beneath the surface, and I’m okay with that. The Oscar-winning score immerses you in the film, filling you with joy, suspense, and love. Sometimes you find yourself singing along to “Part of Your World,” and you guessed it, another Oscar winner, “Under the Sea.” Even with animation being “meant for kids,” The Little Mermaid still resonates with me as an adult. Yes, it’s a love story like the rest, but we see a young woman thinking and acting independently, toying with her fate. The Little Mermaid is getting the remake treatment, as well. I will see it, but what can beat the 1989 masterpiece? (Chantal Ashford)
One of the first things I think of when it comes to underwater is submarines, and for me one of the most iconic submarines is the U-Boat. This is why I’m once again going to Das Boot, what I consider the quintessential submarine film. It gives you the feel of the cramped atmosphere of the submarines of World War II, while showing how drastically against the Kriegsmarine the war would go. It’s the mixture of tension and realism that a great movie like this has that elevates it above so many others. (Joseph Davis)
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” As someone who didn’t grow up watching the Toy Story movies, Finding Nemo was my first exposure to Pixar. And as they say, you don’t forget your first one. Finding Nemo has everything that made Pixar into the juggernaut it still is today: beautiful animation of water and all the underwater creatures, a touching story about family, not letting fear get in the way of life, and most importantly, a complex story that kids will love alongside their parents. We take it for granted now, but mainstream animated films weren’t always for adults to enjoy too, and we can be thankful to the people in Pixar for bringing us many movies that are complex at their core “for the grown-ups”, but simple enough for the kids to have fun as well. And to this day, Finding Nemo is at the very top of my Pixar list, and I don’t think I am the only one. What a beautiful, touching, and funny movie. (Luke Burian)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
No cartoon is as fun as SpongeBob SquarePants. The legendary Nickelodeon show has been running for 20 years, and the first feature movie is an amazing time at the cinema or on your couch. The nonstop laughs, crazy hijinks, and wacky cast of characters makes really fill that 90-minute run time. When you top that off with a story about friendship and endurance in the face of impossible odds, this is a movie for kids and adults. Don’t shame it because it didn’t come from Disney in the 1990s. It’s awesome! Is SpongeBob the OG underseas cartoon hero? No. Is he a mystical creature? No. But is SpongeBob SquarePants the greatest cartoon character ever? YES!!! And if you think I’m gonna stand here and let his good name be slandered just because he’s not a mermaid, and his life goal was just to be a manager at the ocean equivalent of Five Guys, then you got another jellyfish sting coming your way. (Sam Nichols)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Since Disney started doing live action remakes of just about every one of their animated features, there is one movie that fans have been begging to get a live action version, and that movie is Atlantis: The Lost Empire. At its core, this movie is just a story about finding the mythical lost city of Atlantis, but it’s one many millennials, including myself, immediately fell in love with. The film tells the story of Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), a linguist who knows Atlantis is real, but needs the Shepherd’s Journal to guide him. When it’s left to him by his late grandfather, Milo joins a crew of explorers to find the lost city. Some of the other voice cast members are Jim Varney, John Mahoney, Leonard Nimoy, and Jim Cummings, and they all make this movie much better. But what truly puts it above others is that the animation style was so radically different from traditional Disney animation at the time; it was truly a sight to see. (Austen Terry)
Sea Prince and the Fire Child
Sea Prince and the Fire Child is a fantastical underwater tale of Romeo and Juliet-esque characters, with a splash of Little Mermaid reminiscent humor, in beautifully hand-drawn anime. But the plot isn’t what makes this anime epic such a memorable masterpiece. Breathtaking cinematography and delightfully detailed character design and backgrounds come together to forge an exceptional visual experience. The characters vary from intricately detailed fire sprites dancing through eruptive fluctuating flames, to more wacky and whimsical sea characters that look more at home on a kawaii lunchbox than in this tragic tale. That could be due in part to the film being produced by Sanrio, makers of Hello Kitty. While they may excel in the execution of cute, cuddly creations, construction of aquatic backgrounds filled with free flowing sea life is where they truly shine. I cannot oversell how truly impressive vacillating sea anemones, current dragged kelp fields, and windblown caverns look in this hidden ’80s treasure. The contrast of the clunkier cartoonish sea prince, Sirius, to the delicately detailed fire nymph, Malta, speak more to their differences than the at times poorly dubbed dialogue could ever portray. While I wholeheartedly recommend viewing a subbed over dubbed version (Malta doesn’t come across as intended on several occasions due to quirks in language), the visual viewing experience alone is well worth a watch. (Patrice Downing)