‘Ghost Ship’ manages to weather the storm

Ghost Ship is an entertaining piece of cinema.

The story surrounds a motley crew of salvagers who sail the seas in search of lost riches and abandoned vessels.

After their most recent catch, the crew, including Julianna Margulies and Gabriel Byrne, celebrates over a few drinks.

They’re approached by a man with a plan who quickly talks the crew into questing for a huge ocean liner floating aimlessly in the Bering Strait, even though they were supposed to be heading home.

Once the setup is in place, terror, suspense and gory action ensue.

Ghost Ship is much like Titanic without the Disney-like undertones.

There are a few flashbacks that show the ship in its glory days and help paint the picture of what caused the ship’s dilapidated state.

From the moment the salvagers set foot on the ship, audience members lean into their companions – ready to grip each other tightly when something scary occurs.

It quickly becomes apparent that the ship is “alive” with both good and evil spirits making themselves known to the salvagers.

The film attempts to hint at a plotline more involved than the simple run-around-the-boat-screaming-and-talk-to-spirits variety, but it falls short of having a deeper, more fulfilling meaning.

Although suspending disbelief is a given in a movie where the characters have open discussions with spirits of people who died circa 1960, it’s not enough to explain large holes in the script.

Unanswered questions are a problem throughout the piece. But, it doesn’t take much away from the movie as a whole.

Only one character seems to have the power of invincibility.

In a Hollywood where stars can be beaten within an inch of their lives and still defeat the bad guy, it’s refreshing to see main characters picked off one by one.

Ghost Ship and The Ring would make a nice double feature for one of our lovely dark and rainy days.