This film is a prime example of shabby, lazy and incompetent filmmaking. Co-writer and director Vic Sarin ruined what could've easily been a decent viewing experience, with his amateur-hour directing, choppy editing, and a screenplay riddled with plot holes and technical issues. Scenes came out of nowhere and/or ended abruptly with zero rhyme or reason. It's like they were randomly taped together after passing through a shredder. There was so much information missing in many scenes, while many others were questionable as to why they were even filmed. This felt like a really terrible made-for-TV Lifetime movie. The 101 min runtime wasn't used effectively. Even with the fairly decent pacing, it still felt long and dragged out with the incohesive scenes and lack of proper narrative flow. Sarin also failed to direct his cast properly, as most seemed like it was their first acting job. The only convincing character was Chloe played by Katherine McNamara. It's a huge missed opportunity, because the story sure has appeal, but too bad the execution failed the story. It's a very generous 5/10 from me, mostly for the cast who I'm sure tried their best with what they had to work with, and the decent scenic views at the various ports.
9 Reviews
So bad...it's good!
DerekFilms9 July 2023
This film is a complete turkey but entertaining enough to make it a must watch.
To top it all off - one of the stars of the movie is the Director's daughter, talk about nepotism. Although to be fair - she is actually pretty good in this movie, if that's possible.
So there you have it - it's so bad that it's good.
- the plot. This is "inspired by true events" but unfortunately the entire film is based on made up details of implausible situations and characters with enough plot holes to shake a stick at. I can't believe that somebody can claim to be a professional and write this script.
- the filming locations. If you are a cruise fan then this film is not for you. Even though most of the action is based on a cruise ship - the majority of the film was not filmed on a ship! All of the scenes in the cruise suite where actually filmed in a hotel room. The bars were filmed in bars at sea.
- The lack of attention to detail is staggering. This is an around the world 3 month cruise that costed probably $50k but every single guest on board is in their 20s! Not one elderly person is on board. The nightclub also has bottle service with sparklers. Firstly, there is no bottle service on a ship and secondly flames are not allowed on ships at sea!
To top it all off - one of the stars of the movie is the Director's daughter, talk about nepotism. Although to be fair - she is actually pretty good in this movie, if that's possible.
So there you have it - it's so bad that it's good.
This movie wins the title for worst ending ever!
lmnclips217 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This was an extremely convoluted and confusing movie that left me with so unanswered questions, it should not have to be the viewer's job to try to figure out the basic plot/premise of the movie, that is the job of the writers and producers. But they failed miserably at doing that here.
1) Who was the man near the beginning that showed up at that nightclub who was threatening Chloe? After that scene where he had her pinned to a wall on the streets he was never seen or mentioned again.
2) What was it exactly that Jules, Eric, and Carl were doing that was illegal? Did the cocaine that Chloe and Melanie find in their hotel room had something to do with it?
3) What was up with the sketchy people that Jules had met up with that just seemed to start a riot and shoot all over the place? They all started to speak in a foreign language just seconds before all the chaos erupted. I honestly don't know... there's really a lot to unpack in this movie.
4) Why did Jules yank Chloe away from the DJ at one of the parties on the yacht? Did he have a thing for her or something?
5) Near the end it was revealed that Carl was murdered, so that explained why he didn't appear in any other scenes after that one scene 30 minutes in. But his killer was never revealed.
6) Who was supposed to be the main villain of this movie? Was it the old man at the beginning that was talking with Jules at the snowy forest? Was he responsible for Carl's murder??? Was someone working for him?? With a title like "Danger Below Deck" you'd assume that there was some kind of bad guy in the story.
7) How did the police in Sydney know that Chloe & Melanie were smuggling cocaine from the cruise ship? And how did they know which hotel room to go to? It's most likely that the driver (The DJ from the party) had tipped them off because they looked suspicious.
Another complaint I have with this movie is that the music and background noise was so loud to the point where it completely drowned out the dialogue, which meant missing out on some important plot points and details. This has been an issue with so many other LTM's over the past few years, something that they need to work on. Maybe If they had just cranked down the music just a little bit, then I would've made more sense of the already convoluted story.
A lot the characters made stupid decisions, got on my nerves, and were just overall annoying. Chloe and Melanie should've known better than to just follow Jules to wherever he was going, they should've gotten the idea that whatever business he had to take care of, it was of some urgency, and not to be messed with.
The only good thing about the film was the scenery and aesthetics. The interior of the cruise ship was beautiful.
Nowadays when I see a lifetime film that claims to be "inspired by true events", it's a telltale sign that it's not going to be a very good movie.
1) Who was the man near the beginning that showed up at that nightclub who was threatening Chloe? After that scene where he had her pinned to a wall on the streets he was never seen or mentioned again.
2) What was it exactly that Jules, Eric, and Carl were doing that was illegal? Did the cocaine that Chloe and Melanie find in their hotel room had something to do with it?
3) What was up with the sketchy people that Jules had met up with that just seemed to start a riot and shoot all over the place? They all started to speak in a foreign language just seconds before all the chaos erupted. I honestly don't know... there's really a lot to unpack in this movie.
4) Why did Jules yank Chloe away from the DJ at one of the parties on the yacht? Did he have a thing for her or something?
5) Near the end it was revealed that Carl was murdered, so that explained why he didn't appear in any other scenes after that one scene 30 minutes in. But his killer was never revealed.
6) Who was supposed to be the main villain of this movie? Was it the old man at the beginning that was talking with Jules at the snowy forest? Was he responsible for Carl's murder??? Was someone working for him?? With a title like "Danger Below Deck" you'd assume that there was some kind of bad guy in the story.
7) How did the police in Sydney know that Chloe & Melanie were smuggling cocaine from the cruise ship? And how did they know which hotel room to go to? It's most likely that the driver (The DJ from the party) had tipped them off because they looked suspicious.
Another complaint I have with this movie is that the music and background noise was so loud to the point where it completely drowned out the dialogue, which meant missing out on some important plot points and details. This has been an issue with so many other LTM's over the past few years, something that they need to work on. Maybe If they had just cranked down the music just a little bit, then I would've made more sense of the already convoluted story.
A lot the characters made stupid decisions, got on my nerves, and were just overall annoying. Chloe and Melanie should've known better than to just follow Jules to wherever he was going, they should've gotten the idea that whatever business he had to take care of, it was of some urgency, and not to be messed with.
The only good thing about the film was the scenery and aesthetics. The interior of the cruise ship was beautiful.
Nowadays when I see a lifetime film that claims to be "inspired by true events", it's a telltale sign that it's not going to be a very good movie.
This is a real stinker, avoid at all cost!
psxexperten21 November 2022
1 Star. I would give 0 Stars, but the rating system won't allow it.
How bad can a movie get?
Answer: THIS bad. Actually cant get any worse even if you wanted it.
This movie is insanely terrible. That was an hour and forty-one minutes of visual torture. I can't believe I actually put myself through that. It's a movie about some bloggers partying on a cruise ship in south America.
Writers/directors should get ONE chance at a project. If they create something like this, and show themselves to be completely without talent, they should NEVER be allowed to make another film. Nobody should fund them. Nobody should go see anything they produce. The writer/director should give up on their "arty" delusion and go get a normal job.
How bad can a movie get?
Answer: THIS bad. Actually cant get any worse even if you wanted it.
This movie is insanely terrible. That was an hour and forty-one minutes of visual torture. I can't believe I actually put myself through that. It's a movie about some bloggers partying on a cruise ship in south America.
Writers/directors should get ONE chance at a project. If they create something like this, and show themselves to be completely without talent, they should NEVER be allowed to make another film. Nobody should fund them. Nobody should go see anything they produce. The writer/director should give up on their "arty" delusion and go get a normal job.
What a horrible ending!
steenie-6539111 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I REALLY wanted to like this movie. Many of the scenes left me confused. They could and should have developed some of the characters better. The two lead main actresses did a good job but I don't understand why they would take the cocaine off the ship at all. They could've just gotten off and left From Australia back home. What was the point of having that Australian guy take them to the hotel? There are so many things that could've happened in this movie that didn't. And I absolutely hated the ending! There was like no point to the movie with that horrible ending. Do they go to jail? Do they get off? Do they remain friends? What happened to Jules? So many open ended stories and no resolution. It could've been a great movie and they really flubbed it especially in the end.
Leaders, Followers, and Influencers
lavatch7 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
In "Danger Below Deck" (aka, "Sugar"), Chloe and Melanie agree to take an all-expenses paid cruise along the coast of South America and to the South Pacific. It seems like an adverture that is too good to be true.... And it turns out that it WAS too good to be true!
The two women bond and become minor celebrities with their posts and photos. They are always taking selfies and building up a large group of followers. As the cruise proceeds, the two women build up more and more "likes" from their online admirers. They also will be "tagged"....much more painfully than they would ever expect!
The film scenario was clumsy in the development of individual scenes as the women become enmeshed with some very bad men. Soon, they are caught up in a massive drug smuggling operation and fear for their lives if they do not comply.
While the filming was attractive with dynamic backgrounds on the cruise ships and in the ports, the substance was shallow with situations that were not very credible. It made no sense that the women would try to carry the large bags of cocaine off the ship undetected. What was their purpose, and why were they reluctant to alert the authorities in Sydney?
Sorry, but this critic is unable to give a "like" to this clunker of a film.
The two women bond and become minor celebrities with their posts and photos. They are always taking selfies and building up a large group of followers. As the cruise proceeds, the two women build up more and more "likes" from their online admirers. They also will be "tagged"....much more painfully than they would ever expect!
The film scenario was clumsy in the development of individual scenes as the women become enmeshed with some very bad men. Soon, they are caught up in a massive drug smuggling operation and fear for their lives if they do not comply.
While the filming was attractive with dynamic backgrounds on the cruise ships and in the ports, the substance was shallow with situations that were not very credible. It made no sense that the women would try to carry the large bags of cocaine off the ship undetected. What was their purpose, and why were they reluctant to alert the authorities in Sydney?
Sorry, but this critic is unable to give a "like" to this clunker of a film.
loosely based on reality
skepticskeptical11 July 2023
Having watched Around the World with 30 Kilograms, a documentary covering the same story which is fictionalized in Sugar, I decided to watch this film despite the low ratings. The story is quite entertaining, but I think that the documentary version might be closer to the truth, although even that was something of an apologia for one of the two women (the French Canadian). Both depictions make the two women out to be more innocent than they probably were. The judge must have agreed since they both served several years (6 or 7?) in an Australian prison. But at least they enjoyed their cruise before their captivity! I would be interested to know whether there was a police informant in the real life story, as there was in this fictional version. Probably not, I suppose, although it is hard to believe that so little effort was made to insulate the scent of cocaine from what would in all likelihood be drug-sniffing canines at the border. Would professionals be so stupid? I don't think so.
Language, Language!
Stoshie6 March 2024
I'm being factitious if it sounds like I an objecting to the language used in the film. This is obviously a made-for-TV movie, and not a feature film. IMDB says the Countries of Origin are Canada and Mexico, but the languages are English and German. Weird. IMDB also says it was filmed in Canada. I can only guess TV standards are different in Canada, as there is extensive use of foul language in the movie. Those words are skipped in the LMN version of the movie, both in the spoken word and the subtitles. But they are obvious in the context of the dialogue and in lip-reading the characters' words. I can't say for sure they would be allowed on Canadian TV, and if not, I wonder if a theatrical release was considered for the movie. I hope not; it would have been a complete flop.
The ending, which others have mentioned here, seemed incomplete, as if final scenes were missing to explain what happened, why, and what happened to the real bad guys. . But then, that was true throughout the film. Many subplots were left unanswered, and much of the action was haphazard and did not flow well, as if it were edited poorly. A better ending would have made the film somewhat bearable. As it was, if was bad even by Lifetime standards, even though it wasn't a Lifetime-produced movie. I know Razzies aren't awarded to TV movies, but if there were a category for them, this would have been a winner (so to speak).
The ending, which others have mentioned here, seemed incomplete, as if final scenes were missing to explain what happened, why, and what happened to the real bad guys. . But then, that was true throughout the film. Many subplots were left unanswered, and much of the action was haphazard and did not flow well, as if it were edited poorly. A better ending would have made the film somewhat bearable. As it was, if was bad even by Lifetime standards, even though it wasn't a Lifetime-produced movie. I know Razzies aren't awarded to TV movies, but if there were a category for them, this would have been a winner (so to speak).
I I follow
kosmasp27 February 2024
No pun intended - it is quite funny that the main character is played by Kate McNamara, who is quite active on her social media(s). Not to the degree the character is on ... also hopefully with lesser problems, but you'll understand once you watch the movie.
Also this seems to be based on a true story ... at least that is what I got from the end credits. Not sure if it would have been worse if I had known where this would end ... or not. But I felt it worked quite alright by not knowing what is going to happen. On the other hand and maybe because it is based on a true story, it feels quite restricted ... well I've seen worse movies, but also a lot better. If you do not watch many movies or are not a fan of one of the actors at least ... maybe you can and should skip this ...
Also this seems to be based on a true story ... at least that is what I got from the end credits. Not sure if it would have been worse if I had known where this would end ... or not. But I felt it worked quite alright by not knowing what is going to happen. On the other hand and maybe because it is based on a true story, it feels quite restricted ... well I've seen worse movies, but also a lot better. If you do not watch many movies or are not a fan of one of the actors at least ... maybe you can and should skip this ...
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