This intelligent if illogical deep-sea sci-fi saga is pretty good for the first hour, up to the death of the first crew member on the submersible sent to investigate a spaceship lying on the ocean bed.

But when mind games replace simple action, the film's dull company.

Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L Jackson don't have enough to chew on, the direction lacks dynamism and the egg-head ending carries little impact.

But Hoffman is, as usual, a cut above his material.

The jellyfish attack sequence mixes puppets, CGI and footage of real jellyfish running five times normal speed to make them seem violent.