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Just got back from seeing "The Shallows" with Blake Lively. A surprisingly good movie for a film that hit credits before the 90 minute mark. Blake Lively plays a medical student who is in the middle of career choices and trying to find peace in reconciling a number of personal issues in her life. She elects to go to a remote island to surf the waves and essentially get away from it all...literally. She bargains for a bit more than she had planned by unwittingly wandering into a rather sizable Great White's feeding grounds (reasons that are sufficiently explained). She finds herself stranded on a rock 60 yards from shore effectively placing her in a position where she has to make tough choices about how she can survive and whether she can find a way to get to shore without being devoured.
If you're looking for a Jaws-style drama, you'll be pleased to know this movie services those desires quite well here. The tension build is quite good and the scares are quite effective. The majority of her reasoning is acceptable within the framework of how the character is written and what is at her disposal. It plays a little like Castaway meets Jaws with a story that examines not only the horror of facing a Great White but also whether she can survive the elements of her environment along with a number of other issues complicating the matter. So while the mechanics pit her in a bit of a cat and mouse plot with the White, the story is much better crafted than just that singular story line. You care about her character and the issues in play. She has believable obstacles that more than make you champion her cause. It's a surprisingly well crafted story where it quite easily could have fallen into a more predictable "Deep Blue Sea" mentality (yes, I know those were Makos in that film). But the White here operates pretty much within the framework that is known of this species while occasionally giving the dutiful nod to Jaws with the big fin cutting through the waves and a monster type moment here or there (but with context). It's done with nice effective and you're completely pulled in. Plus the White looks completely believable. No stylish CGI in play here.
My only real complaint is the last chapter is wrapped up a bit too fast where that might have serviced the material better to flush it out a bit more. That being said, it was was a satisfying experience and delivered in spades what the trailers promise. The movie is also getting descent reviews by critics so this could be one of those sleeper hits given the seasonal nature of the subject. If the trailers sparked some interest for you, I highly recommend you go check it out. 7 out of 10.
If you're looking for a Jaws-style drama, you'll be pleased to know this movie services those desires quite well here. The tension build is quite good and the scares are quite effective. The majority of her reasoning is acceptable within the framework of how the character is written and what is at her disposal. It plays a little like Castaway meets Jaws with a story that examines not only the horror of facing a Great White but also whether she can survive the elements of her environment along with a number of other issues complicating the matter. So while the mechanics pit her in a bit of a cat and mouse plot with the White, the story is much better crafted than just that singular story line. You care about her character and the issues in play. She has believable obstacles that more than make you champion her cause. It's a surprisingly well crafted story where it quite easily could have fallen into a more predictable "Deep Blue Sea" mentality (yes, I know those were Makos in that film). But the White here operates pretty much within the framework that is known of this species while occasionally giving the dutiful nod to Jaws with the big fin cutting through the waves and a monster type moment here or there (but with context). It's done with nice effective and you're completely pulled in. Plus the White looks completely believable. No stylish CGI in play here.
My only real complaint is the last chapter is wrapped up a bit too fast where that might have serviced the material better to flush it out a bit more. That being said, it was was a satisfying experience and delivered in spades what the trailers promise. The movie is also getting descent reviews by critics so this could be one of those sleeper hits given the seasonal nature of the subject. If the trailers sparked some interest for you, I highly recommend you go check it out. 7 out of 10.
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