The Shallows (2016)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
How many damn shark movies are there? Seriously? There may be more shark movies than slasher movies, and that is impressive. Much like slashers for every Jaws or Halloween there’s at least 20 Shark Exorcists or Terror at Tenkillers. So much shit, so so much. So when one comes out that actually looks halfway decent you get excited.
The Shallows is about a girl that takes a trip to Mexico and goes to a secluded beach to surf. Everything is going fine until a dying whale floats up, followed closely by a giant shark. Blake Lively’s character is attacked and injured. Now the rest of the movie is a cerebral marathon between shark and woman.
Blake Lively puts on a great performance because shit, its basically just her and a seagull interacting the whole movie! In that way it is reminiscent of Cast Away with Tom Hanks. While Lively doesn’t put in a Hanksian performance she still does great. She’s always been super likable and gorgeous, but this movie gives her time to shine. There are a few gut wrenching moments of suspense that she shows amazingly. The directing is rather solid as well. I’ve only seen 2 movies of Collet-Serra’s, both I enjoyed. Jungle Cruise was a lot of fun and I suggest anyone that enjoys Indiana Jones to check it out! The shark isn’t seen too much, which is great. I hate when you see a fake looking shark in your face a hundred times. That is the mistake a lot of shark movies make.
The movie has a fair amount of blood. Nothing too over the top, more realistic I suppose. Blake’s leg is kind of gruesome but is to be expected when attacked by a shark haha. There are few kills, a couple of surfers that try to rescue her and a random guy that tries. It is your typical shark attack stuff, nothing too crazy. The way the shark bites it at the end is pretty awesome and made me go “whoa!” Which is always fun.
While the Shallows might not be top tier in horror, it is an above average shark movie. Jaws set the bar, and it hasn’t ever been touched by anything else. If you love shark movies, then you’ll enjoy this one. I had a good time with it and Blake Lively’s performance was rather impressive. I give this movie a solid B.
