DVD Review: If You Want To Watch “Sea Change” Read The Book Instead

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

A teenage girl makes a startling discovery about her connection to the Seawalkers, legendary beings who are half-human, half-sea creature.

This movie is based on Aimee Friedman’s best-selling novel of the same name, a book that was well received upon its release in 2009. I can understand why a producer or director might say, “this could be interesting, let’s turn it into a movie,” but some things are best left alone. I have no doubt that director Chris Grismer had a grand vision for this story, beautiful locations, a great young cast giving it their all, a wonderful premise of sea creatures, half sea and half human, what could go wrong?

People foolish enough to explore Siren Beach end up very dead. From the start, the creatures are anti-human and murder a young woman scuba diving on the beach. Later, we meet Miranda (Emily Rudd), returning to the island to live with her mother after the death of her father. They are not a happy duo. She meets TJ (Keenan Tracey), old family, old money, and Leo (Skyler Maxon), a local fisherman who is very attracted to her. But where are we going? Beach parties, lots of booze, drugs, and sex (where are all the parents?).

The obnoxious behavior of the local rich kids has been taken from a dozen other movies and you have seen it all before. Did director Chris Grismer contract the flu and pass his baton on to someone else for a couple of weeks? The storyline moves all over the place and when we finally come to the finale, Miranda and her mother end up waist high in water, looking at the camera, and then it ends! I sat looking at the screen, in stunned silence, wondering what the hell happened – or didn’t. Enjoy the view, it’s the only good aspect of the film.

Available on DVD June 12th