Rarely do movies make me speechless, and I have watched a lot of movies. Some of them have been the greatest things that my eyes have seen, while others have made me feel like I might require an eye-bleach. The last time a movie made me question my decisions was when I watched Sandeep Vanga’s Animal. “Never Again!” I thought to myself, but a week or so later, I’ve had to watch Gods of the Deep. Recently, a friend of mine told me to keep an open mind while indulging in this passion, especially with films I do not think highly of. So, I admitted my bias and proceeded to watch this horror flick. Understandably, the horror genre isn’t really known for its dexterity, but this one is just hilarious. I would prefer to think this was the intention, but I am not entirely sure it is. Gods of the Deep is a sci-fi psychological horror inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft that transcends the boundaries of science-fiction horror. It has everything that you need—an underwater civilization, a Cthulhu, an astrobiologist turned Rambo, a marine biologist who doesn’t know the first thing about laboratory practices, and a demented rich white old hipster with an unusual obsession who also looks like Adam Driver from that one SNL skit. I did watch the movie without context, so I did some research. Unfortunately, the movie still makes no sense to me.
Spoilers Ahead
First Of All, What Is A Cthulhu?
Cthulhu, pronounced Ku-tul-hu, is a cosmic being from the Lovecraftian universe. The character made its debut in H.P. Lovecraft’s short story titled The Call of Cthulhu. Cthulhu is typically portrayed as a massive and ominous creature. Its head resembles an octopus, its wings are reminiscent of a dragon, and it has a humanoid form. Lying dormant beneath the depths of the Pacific Ocean in the sunken city of R’lyeh, Cthulhu, without a doubt, is the very entity that the characters of this movie confront and try to escape. In Lovecraft’s literature, this creature is often portrayed as a god awaiting resurrection, underscoring humanity’s insignificance in the face of vast and ancient cosmic entities. It is known to evoke a sense of existential terror. He is portrayed as a reason for the subconscious panic and anxiety of humankind, emphasizing the fragility of human sanity and the limitations of human understanding.
What Is The Story About?
Jim Peters is an astrobiologist at Miskatonic University. For those who do not know about this, Miskatonic University is a renowned university in the fictional Lovecraftian city of Arkham (I bet that rings a bell). Anyway, Jim’s father, who was also a researcher like him, went missing during an expedition for Pickman Corporation when Jim was younger. This tragedy made Jim write several books and theories about his father’s whereabouts, following which he decided to dedicate his life to astrobiology. Jim is approached by Dr. Julia Goldstein, a representative of Pickman Corporation, to join their team on an expedition. He is initially reluctant until Julia reveals the details of their discovery. The Pickman probes found an artificial ruin at the bottom of the Pacific-Antarctic ridge, which, according to their speculation, is a portal to another world. According to Lovecraftian mythology, this portal is likely to be the gateway to the sunken ruins of R’lyeh.
Who Are The Other Team Members On The Expedition?
Apart from Jim, joining the team are Hank O’Connell, Pickman’s lead engineer; Joseph Meeker, Pickman’s safety and communications officer; Christine Harris, a renowned marine biologist; and Gordon Atkins, the leader of the expedition. Hank lays down a basic idea of the operation, unveiling Providence 3, a submersible craft sturdy enough to withstand the water pressure at 35000 ft. below the surface. When Christine is not convinced about the credibility of the program, Jed Pickman, the head of the Pickman corporation, steps in with a rather impractical speech. Let me add that this impractical speech is being given in front of a group of pragmatic scientists, but who cares, right? At least, old man Jed is not a hypocrite, as he would be joining the team as well. Following their mutual approval for the expedition, the team undergoes a 2-month training program to prepare themselves for the ups and downs of their journey.
What Happens When Providence 3 Reaches The Seabed?
Boarding the submersible, the team heads towards the coordinates of the ruins with only 20 hours of life support. In this expedition, Jim’s role is to maneuver an underwater rover to extract samples from beyond the ‘Portal.’ I thought Jim was supposed to be an astrobiologist, but apparently, his only purpose is to be there because Jed wants him to do this in memory of his father, who was close to Jed Pickman. The Providence is supposedly reinforced by layers of metal, but Jim’s rover is practically a box of glass. It seems the filmmakers have forgotten that they’re supposed to be 35,000 feet under the ocean. As they arrive at the location and witness the mysterious portal, its non-organic structure suggests intelligent design rather than a natural formation. Upon entering the gateway, they encounter a sudden system malfunction, severing communications with headquarters. Upon reconnecting, they discover they’ve been away for three hours, though for them, only minutes have passed.
During their descent to the ocean floor, the Providence uncovers the ancient Lovecraftian ruins of R’lyeh. Among the ruins lie the colossal remains of a deep-sea organism unknown to the animal kingdom. Upon learning of this discovery, Julia instructs the team to extract a tissue sample from the creature’s remains, prompting Jim to embark on his rover and approach the site. However, as soon as he secures the sample, the team detects movement on their radar, prompting Jim to hastily return to the submersible.
How Do Things Start Going Awry For The Team?
As the team of scientists busily navigates the unknown, Jed Pickman’s behavior takes a peculiar turn as he begins to eerily wander around in the craft. To their horror, the supposedly deceased colossus from which Jim had extracted a tissue sample suddenly awakens, revealing itself to be Cthulhu, sending waves of panic through the team.
Amidst the chaos, Christine accidentally falls into the pressure dock. Though Hank and Joseph manage to retrieve her, it appears she’s lost, only to be miraculously resuscitated by Jim moments later. Tragically, Hank becomes trapped while attempting to seal the flooded bunk rooms and succumbs to drowning, as witnessed by Jed, who displays a disturbing fascination with the awakening Cthulhu. It becomes evident that Jed is already veering towards worshiping the ancient deity.
With the Providence damaged, the team slowly ascends to the surface, yet Jed insists that Christine begin researching the tissue sample immediately. But, upon realizing the sample is alive, Christine decides to contain the sample by casually covering it with a white sheet. Alright, hear me out. As a Bioscience major, I see this as a spectacle of the most nonsensical breach of standard operating procedures in the lab. It doesn’t even surprise me that Jed effortlessly breaks into the lab, strips down, and rubs the Cthulhu slime all over his body. I do suspect that there’s more to this scene than meets the eye, but the thought of it makes me uncomfortable. In short, Jed becomes fully possessed and kills Gordon.
What Is Joseph’s Secret?
Even though Joseph’s role in the team is that of a health and safety officer, he proves quite incompetent during Christine’s mishap and lets her succumb to her fate. Joseph reveals himself to be a mercenary planted by Julia to ensure the smooth extraction of the samples, against Jed’s plans. As it turns out, he has even brought a submachine gun aboard Providence 3 as well. When things begin to go sideways, he doesn’t hesitate to kill Gordon as well, who has also been possessed by the deity. He attempts to kill Jim and Christine when Providence is rendered useless after Gordon destroys the console.
What Happens To Jim And Christine?
Following a violent confrontation that leaves Joseph injured and subsequently possessed by Cthulhu, Jim, a nerdy astrobiologist, turns into Sylvestor Stallon’s Rambo (I am not even kidding) and is forced to make the difficult decision to shoot him to death. Recognizing the potential threat posed by Pickman Corporation’s interest in the sample, Jim and Christine resolve to destroy it completely. However, Jim sees his father’s apparition, warning him that the craft will implode upon opening the door and asking Jim to join him. Consequently, Jim chooses to remain behind to seal the pressure lock to save Christine, sacrificing himself for the greater good.
During Gods of the Deep‘s ending, Christine is rescued by Pickman Corps just in time, as she had passed out due to dangerously low oxygen levels. Days later, she wakes up in a hospital and confronts Julie Goldstein about the deaths of her teammates. Christine accuses Pickman Corporation of knowingly sending the team into danger, despite being aware of the risks involved in the expedition. As Christine speaks, she is suddenly overcome by excruciating pain in her stomach. It dawns on her that she had come into contact with the Cthulhu slime while aboard Providence 3, leading to her possession as well. In a horrifying turn of events, the deity’s tentacles burst forth from her stomach, enveloping Julie in the contaminated blood as well.
Being a Lovecraftian tale, the narrative imposes a lesson about the dangers of meddling with forces beyond human comprehension. Cthulhu depicts the idea that some truths are simply too terrible for the human mind to grasp. The entity’s influence transcends mere physical danger, infiltrating the very essence of the characters’ consciousness and driving them to madness. Neither is it bound by the laws of our three-dimensional reality. It is said to exist simultaneously in multiple dimensions, with its true form being incomprehensible to human minds. One might even compare humankind’s fascination with uncovering the unknown to the tale of Icarus, driven by curiosity to soar closer to the sun, forgetting its might in the process.
