Terror Beneath the Sea

{{Infobox film

| name = Terror Beneath the Sea

| image = Terror Beneath the Sea.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| native_name = {{Infobox Japanese| kanji=海底大戦争 | revhep=Kaitei Daisensō}}

| director = Hajime Sato

| producer = Koji Kameda
Seiichi Yoshino
Masafumi Soga

| screenplay = Kōichi Ōtsu

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| music = Shunsuke Kikuchi

| cinematography = Kazuo Shimomura

| editing = Tomio Soda

| studio = Toei Company
Ram Films

| distributor = Toei

| released = {{Film date|1966|7|1|{{Small|Japan}}}}

| runtime = 84 minutes {{Small|(Japan)}}
79 minutes {{Small|(United States)}}

| country = Japan
United States

| language = Japanese
English (dubbed)

}}

{{Nihongo|Terror Beneath the Sea|海底大戦争|Kaitei Daisensō|{{literal translation|The Great Undersea War}}|lead=yes}}{{efn|also known as Water Cyborg,{{Cite web|url=http://db.eiren.org/contents/03000009571.html|title=海底大戦争｜一般社団法人日本映画製作者連盟}} Agent X-2: Operation Underwater, and Battle Beneath the Sea}} is a 1966 science fiction horror film directed by Hajime Sato.{{Cite book|last=Dr. Ishii|title=日本特撮・幻想映画全集|publisher=Keibunsha|year=1997|isbn=4766927060|location=Tokyo|pages=172}} An international co-production of Japan and the United States,{{cite book|first=Chris|last=Desjardins|page=53|year=2005|title=Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-090-1}}{{Cite web|title=映画海底大戦争 (1966)について映画データベース|url=https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/85998|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Allcinema}} it stars Sonny Chiba, Peggy Neal, Franz Gruber, Andrew Hughes, Tadashi Suganuma, and Hideo Murota.

Plot

The story follows reporter Ken Abe and photographer Jenny Gleason as they attend a torpedo testby the US navy, which has a mysterious swimming body appear during it. This and other irregularity cause the pair to investigate, which leads them to a cave inhabited by silver fish-men, who capture the pair.

The pair is eventually taken to the underwater base of the enigmatic Professor Moore, who has created these fish-men or "water cyborgs." The Water Cyborgs lack free will and are intended to be his soldiers in his task to unify the world under him and make people compliant in his 'Utopia'. The process of transforming ordinary humans into these creatures is shown in graphic detail throughout the procedure, disturbing Jenny and Ken.

A US Navy submarine searching for the missing couple as well as a kidnapped scientist stumbles upon the base, interrupting the process of Ken and Jenny's transformation, though both are left scared. The base and submarine engage in deadly combat using torpedoes and missiles until a hit disrupts the control mechanism of the Water Cyborgs and they begin indiscriminately killing everyone they come across. While attempting to escape, Ken, Jenny, and the scientist run into the leader of the base attempting to do the same, eventually resulting in the leader's death. A navy diver rescues them from the base.

Awakening in the hospital, Jenny is at first terrified of being seen in her altered appearance, only to find their fellow rescuee knew the process to reverse the procedure and she and Ken have been restored, and Jenny excitedly tells her boss she has a story for him, before she and Jen go for a walk on the beach together.

Cast

Sonny Chiba as Ken Abe{{Cite web|title=海底大戦争 : 作品情報|url=https://eiga.com/movie/35520/|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Eiga.com|language=ja}}{{sfn|Barsanti|2014|p=377}}
Peggy Neal as Jenny Gleason
Franz Gruber as Lieutenant Colonel Brown
Andrew Hughes as Professor Howard
Tadashi Suganuma as Nishida
Hideo Murota as Navy Base Engineer A
Osamu Yamanouchi as Navy Base Engineer B
Ichiro Mizuki as Navy Base Engineer D
Beverly Kahler as Luisa
Mike Daneen as Dr. Josef Heim
Enver Altenbay as Reporter A

Release

Terror Beneath the Sea was released in Japan on July 1, 1966. The film did not receive a theatrical release in the United States, instead being released directly to television by Teleworld.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=Home media=

Reception

=International response=

Critical response outside of Japan has been mixed to negative.

Jon Condit of Dread Central rated it two out of five stars, writing "Terror Beneath The Sea is the epitome of a disposable movie. It's utter nonsense from beginning to end and never takes the time to develop any characters or allow for the story to build naturally".{{cite web|last=Condit|first=Jon|title=Terror Beneath the Sea (1966)|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/3906/terror-beneath-the-sea-1966/|website=Dread Central|access-date=June 25, 2023|date=October 5, 2005}}

Notes

References

Bibliography

{{cite book|last=Barsanti|first=Chris|title=The Sci-Fi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz|date=September 22, 2014|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=978-1-5785-9533-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4GDBwAAQBAJ}}