This is a underwater horror movie made in 1989, the same year that other underwater movies (a little mini-genre) The Abyss (1989) and Leviathan (1989) both debuted as well. Both The Abyss and Leviathan are superior to Deepstar Six but that’s not to say that Deepstar is terrible. There are actually some fun moments, scenes, and characters in this.
Deepstar was directed by the same guy that directed the first Friday the 13th film, so that should give you an idea of how he likes to handle his characters (pretty cliched) but where Deepstar really succeeds is once the horror kicks in. The film gets immensely better in the last half. There are some surprisingly intense scenes. Also, without giving too much away though, there is a scene at the end that is a direct copy of what he did at the end of Friday the 13th which is pretty funny.
The creature effects in this are excellent. Really impressive, especially for a B-movie. Awesome practical effects and some of the inventive violence really stands out as well. The film is better than I expected. If you liked The Abyss or Leviathan, you’ll probably enjoy this also (though not as much).