I was pulled into seeing this because of WIRED Magazine's recommendation saying, "Even in the straight-to-cable ghetto, creativity can flourish...this one is actually scary." Yeah, right. Quite honestly, you'll be lucky if you even finish watching this.

The opening begins with an Irish carnival, the old type of sword-eating sideshows filled with fast-talking barkers. The actors and such know that they'll never go anywhere in life, never get as big as Ringling Bros...then they meet a "real" mermaid.

Turns out that an old man has captured this "she creature," and tells the sideshow of the creature's dangerous side and how he'll never give her up. But the creature is stolen and placed aboard a ship and events do indeed begin happening. A crew member turns up missing, and the only other female onboard begins to take on a mysterious rapport with the creature...all of which leads to an "Alien" type ending in more ways than one.

A couple of things to explain: first, this "creature" is quite stunning, topless most of the time and gazing at you with penetrating eyes. But scary?? not; second, the special effects are minimal at best, the scary transformation into a real creature leaves you wondering why you kept watching this movie ( was the effects guy a fan of Godzilla, which the creature slightly resembles ); and lastly, will you ever trust WIRED again ( what are they doing recommending movies anyway ).

All in all, my Blockbuster store summed it all up for me when I checked this out, saying, "I don't think anyone ever rented this movie out before." Ooops...I should've taken the hint. Hey, does that copy in your hand look like it's never been played before?? Put it back, now, while you have the chance!

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings