Ghost Ship

GHOST SHIP

A 2002 picture about a salvage crew that sets out in a tugboat to recover a derelict ocean liner, Ghost Ship opens with a fantastic prologue set in 1962 but rapidly devolves into mediocrity after the “present day” scenes begin.  The plot grows muddled as members of the salvage team encounter strange happenings aboard the rusted-out vessel but don’t communicate about them with each other (Maureen Epps, the protagonist, says nothing after she has a full-blown conversation with the ghost of a little girl who warns her to get off the ship).  The nature of the true antagonist is convoluted and just plain silly (I won’t spoil the third act by getting into specifics).  When the tugboat’s engine room explodes (at the midpoint) while the bulk of the crew is aboard the ocean liner, no real sense of panic or trauma radiates from the characters who are now stranded with naught but maggot-invested canned goods for food.  I’m always up for a great tale of supernatural happenings at sea, but Ghost Ship’s story is neither great nor even very good.  The best compliment I can muster about this project: the sets looked pretty cool.  Steer clear.