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It’s 1960 and Jack crashes in the middle of the Ocean and suddenly finds himself in the crumbling underwater metropolis known as Rapture. Rapture was founded on the promise of a utopia for the strongest and brightest of American culture but was transformed by its own ambition as its inhabitants became increasingly dependent on genetic alterations used to “improve” their bodies and mind. Things began to spiral out of control and the inhabitants went mad, transforming into mutated zombies hungry for ADAM, the genetic ingredient used to alter their DNA. Jack is guided through this hell by radio transmissions from a man named Atlas, who claims the founder of Rapture Andrew Ryan, is holding his wife and children hostage. Navigating a world populated by human monsters, ghost-like children called Little Sisters and a wide range of art-deco locales, this is not your ordinary science fiction film.
Atlas, Jack’s guide throughout the film, is ultimately figureless: he is little more than a guiding voice on a radio. Of all the great voices in cinematographic history, I am still not sure any of them beat the gravel of Tom Waits. Though known primarily for his music, he is no stranger to the world of film and has contributed his voice and presence to some incredible films in the past three decades. Tom Waits’ vocal aesthetic may be distinct, but it is also flexible as in his own music he takes on different characters and personalities from one song or album to the next. It is consistently commanding too, though there is a wonderful hint at the sinister that would serve this character well. We have to understand why Jack would be so trusting of Atlas, while also being wary of his intentions.
