Lords of the Deep is a 1989 American Sci-Fi Horror film, co-produced by Roger Corman and directed by Mary Ann Fisher, about an underwater colony being attacked by alien life forms. Actors included Bradford Dillman and Priscilla Barnes.
The film has since gained new life thanks to being featured in the second reboot season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tropes pertaining to that episode can be found here.
Tropes found in this episode include:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Trilby, the station's central computer, is programmed to follow its commander's orders without question or hesitation, even when those orders involve murdering other members of the crew. No compliance with Asimov's laws here.
- All for Nothing: Dobler wipes out most of the crew to save his job and prevent being relegated to Earth's toxic surface. His superior is pissed and makes it clear he's out of a job, and then later, Dobler dies for his troubles. Also, a number of people he thought he killed were saved by the benevolent aliens.
- Axe-Crazy: Dobler ends up this way. Whist trying to eliminate Claire, he manages to get just about everyone BUT Claire killed. His in-film justification is that apparently the Earth is a toxic shithole on the surface and being underwater and in command of the undersea station is FAR superior to being on land.
- Black Dude Dies First: The commander of the relief crew sub is the ONLY non-white character in the whole film. Naturally, he is killed about 10 minutes into the show.
- Casting Gag: Co-producer Roger Corman's video appearances are very similar to the character Martin, played by Meg Foster in Leviathan (1989). Also, the character escapes unscathed, and doesn't even get a punch of retribution in the end.
- The Dragon: Dobler is in an odd position as he's the film's main antagonist AND The Dragon. While he's responsible for every death, he begins his murderous rampage at the behest of Roger Corman's corrupt executive, who shows disgust at Dobler method. Not only does he fail he gets killed in the end.
- Establishing Shot: The movie is full of them, despite almost all of it taking place in the same underwater base.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Dobler's superior is disgusted with what he sees as Dobler needlessly killing everyone on the crew except for the one person they asked him to eliminate. Dobler tries to justify his actions, but his superior still plans to replace him once the new people get there.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Priscilla Barnes as Claire, who's nothing but innocent the whole movie.
- Humiliation Conga: Dobler manages to kill off multiple people except for his intended target in order to keep his position as the undersea lab's commander and avoid being on Earth's toxic surface. His superior is so incensed that he killed the wrong people and not the one he was told to that he tells him that he's being replaced anyway. Dobler, completely nuts by this point, keeps trying to kill O'Neill and Claire, but fails. The alien presence saves O'Neill and Claire and leaves Dobler to die when the undersea lab implodes. Also, a number of characters Dobler thought he killed were saved by the aliens.
- Jerkass: Dobler.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Dobler again.. When he goes Axe-Crazy and starts killing people, and attempting to kill O'Neill and Claire.
- Karma Houdini: Despite the corrupt executive ordering Claire's execution, he takes no responsibility or heat when the plan fails, and isn't in the lab to pay the ultimate price like Dobler.
- Master Computer: Trilby has control of every vital system on the research station, which is fine right up until Dobler starts ordering her to lock members of the crew into various compartments and cut off the oxygen...
- Mushroom Samba: With a dash of Acid-Trip Dimension feel when the aliens try to use images to explain their plan to Claire.
- Innocent Aliens: The Lords of the Deep are actually benign, as they are trying to find a way to save humanity from itself.
- Starfish Aliens: The Lords of the Deep have body designs similar to manta-rays.
