The Shallows - directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Screenplay: Anthony Jaswinski
Here's a movie of the sort that we get every year or two.
A single location (for the most part) flick with a simple premise designed for tension and jump scares.
In this case it is a young surfer who finds herself stranded on a small piece of rock protruding from waters inhabited by a very hungry shark.
The trailers for this film seem hellbent on pitching it as a Blake Lively in a bikini movie.
Not that that sounds at all unappealing but fortunately there is more to this movie than a simple gawp-fest for fans of very beautiful skin.
Even when your leading lady is as indescribably lovely as Blake Lively you are doomed to fail if you proceed on the assumption that eye candy is all that your film needs.
To be clear from the outset - I don't mean to suggest that physical appeal is all that Lively has to offer.
Quite the contrary.
Anyone who has seen her work in Ben Affleck's "The Town" will be only too aware of the talent that she possesses.
Whilst her part is less meaty in "The Shallows" she is still the heart and soul of the film appearing in every single scene.
Her charisma shines through constantly and makes her character smart, interesting and resourceful.
She has a backstory in that her Mother has died of (presumably) cancer and she has subsequently given up on her studies to become a doctor.
Abandoned by a hungover friend she goes solo to seek a beach that her Mother once visited while pregnant with her.
She video calls her younger Sister and Father then sets off for a day of surfing.
Plentiful shots of Lively's incredible bikini clad body ensue but director Collet-Serra keeps things on the right side of pervy.
When the shark attack comes it is swift and brutal.
The budget for this film was a very modest $17,000,000 but that was apparently enough to produce a nicely executed CGI shark.
There are a couple of slightly shaky moments but all in all the effects are really well done.
All in all this is a slick production with some terrific cinematography, effective editing and a great score from Marco Beltrami.
With a running time of 86 minutes the film doesn't ever threaten to overstay its welcome.
It is lean and well paced and yet has plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting even when the shark is out of the frame.
A wounded seagull and Lively's nasty thigh wound provide plenty of tension and interest.
Not only is her character in danger of death from gangrene but there is the ticking clock as the tide rises and her lonely, rocky refuge threatens to sink beneath the waves dipping her within range of a set of shark choppers.
Much of the talking to herself stuff exists to keep the audience up to date with these dangers.
She has enough medical training under her belt to know that she needs to stem the bleeding from her leg and get the hell to shore before she dies from infection.
As necessary as the imparting of these things is the idea that she would announce out loud what she is doing and why is jarringly unrealistic.
A device is used whereby she pretends that she is reassuring a patient that she is treating as she self stitches her leg.
Again- it is odd and doesn't work very well.
What does work however is the woman versus shark battle of wits and it is thanks to Lively's performance and the skillful direction of Collet-Serra.
There is always something to keep the viewer interested whether it is Lively's realisation that the sharks constant circling gives her a window of time to get from her rock to another or her chats to the bird that she names 'Steve Seagull' (I laughed - I admit it).
The presence of two other surfers and a drunk man also contribute to the tension.
The violence is well restrained with the most graphic stuff being reserved for the horrible gash along Lively's thigh.
This is a "127 Hours" level bit of nastiness.
Don't let that put you off if you are squeamish.
This film is far more interested in the who and the what than the gruesome details.
It's a story of survival not of death.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra is best known for a trio of Liam Neeson films- "Unknown", "Non-Stop" and "Run All Night".
This is a film much smaller in scale and he really shines.
There is barely a wasted second of screen time and even the quiet moments where Lively catches a ride from a friendly local entertains.
This is no modern classic but it is more "Jaws" than "Deep Blue Sea" and is a highly effective thriller.
There are plentiful nods to Spielberg's classic with a host of shots paying direct homage.
To say which would spoil far too much but you will know them when you see them.
Even with an ending that left me staring at the screen baffled I still liked this movie a lot.
Taut, exciting, very pretty to look at (generally- not just Lively!)
Had the budget been triple I would consider it a wonderful looking movie but what we get for less than twenty million is surprisingly good.
I'm giving most of the credit to Lively though - she gives the role her all.
Anyone not already a fan is likely to be one by the time the end credits roll.
This film looked like a really hard shoot and I couldn't even guess at how many hours, days or week the crew and the cast must have spent in water and/or clinging to rocks.
The effort was well worth it.
RATING: 78 / 100
CONCLUSION: A very effective thriller with a likeable heroine thanks to a terrific performance from Lively. Good fun stuff.
Starring: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, Angelo Jose, Lozano Corzo, Jose Manual, Trujillo Salas, Brett Cullen, Sedona Legge, Janelle Bailey, Diego Espejel
Screenplay: Anthony Jaswinski
Music Score by: Marco Beltrami
Cinematography: Flavio Martinez Labiano
Cinematography: Flavio Martinez Labiano
Edited by: Joel Negron
Running Time: 86 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Minor, infrequent profanity and some shark violence
Running Time: 86 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Minor, infrequent profanity and some shark violence
Here's a movie of the sort that we get every year or two.
A single location (for the most part) flick with a simple premise designed for tension and jump scares.
In this case it is a young surfer who finds herself stranded on a small piece of rock protruding from waters inhabited by a very hungry shark.
The trailers for this film seem hellbent on pitching it as a Blake Lively in a bikini movie.
Not that that sounds at all unappealing but fortunately there is more to this movie than a simple gawp-fest for fans of very beautiful skin.
Even when your leading lady is as indescribably lovely as Blake Lively you are doomed to fail if you proceed on the assumption that eye candy is all that your film needs.
To be clear from the outset - I don't mean to suggest that physical appeal is all that Lively has to offer.
Quite the contrary.
Anyone who has seen her work in Ben Affleck's "The Town" will be only too aware of the talent that she possesses.
Whilst her part is less meaty in "The Shallows" she is still the heart and soul of the film appearing in every single scene.
Her charisma shines through constantly and makes her character smart, interesting and resourceful.
She has a backstory in that her Mother has died of (presumably) cancer and she has subsequently given up on her studies to become a doctor.
Abandoned by a hungover friend she goes solo to seek a beach that her Mother once visited while pregnant with her.
She video calls her younger Sister and Father then sets off for a day of surfing.
 |
| Blake Lively |
When the shark attack comes it is swift and brutal.
The budget for this film was a very modest $17,000,000 but that was apparently enough to produce a nicely executed CGI shark.
There are a couple of slightly shaky moments but all in all the effects are really well done.
All in all this is a slick production with some terrific cinematography, effective editing and a great score from Marco Beltrami.
With a running time of 86 minutes the film doesn't ever threaten to overstay its welcome.
It is lean and well paced and yet has plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting even when the shark is out of the frame.A wounded seagull and Lively's nasty thigh wound provide plenty of tension and interest.
Not only is her character in danger of death from gangrene but there is the ticking clock as the tide rises and her lonely, rocky refuge threatens to sink beneath the waves dipping her within range of a set of shark choppers.
Much of the talking to herself stuff exists to keep the audience up to date with these dangers.
She has enough medical training under her belt to know that she needs to stem the bleeding from her leg and get the hell to shore before she dies from infection.
As necessary as the imparting of these things is the idea that she would announce out loud what she is doing and why is jarringly unrealistic.
A device is used whereby she pretends that she is reassuring a patient that she is treating as she self stitches her leg.
Again- it is odd and doesn't work very well.
What does work however is the woman versus shark battle of wits and it is thanks to Lively's performance and the skillful direction of Collet-Serra.
There is always something to keep the viewer interested whether it is Lively's realisation that the sharks constant circling gives her a window of time to get from her rock to another or her chats to the bird that she names 'Steve Seagull' (I laughed - I admit it).
The presence of two other surfers and a drunk man also contribute to the tension.
The violence is well restrained with the most graphic stuff being reserved for the horrible gash along Lively's thigh.
This is a "127 Hours" level bit of nastiness.
Don't let that put you off if you are squeamish.
This film is far more interested in the who and the what than the gruesome details.
It's a story of survival not of death.
 |
| Not a fun day at the beach |
This is a film much smaller in scale and he really shines.
There is barely a wasted second of screen time and even the quiet moments where Lively catches a ride from a friendly local entertains.
This is no modern classic but it is more "Jaws" than "Deep Blue Sea" and is a highly effective thriller.
There are plentiful nods to Spielberg's classic with a host of shots paying direct homage.
To say which would spoil far too much but you will know them when you see them.
Even with an ending that left me staring at the screen baffled I still liked this movie a lot.
Taut, exciting, very pretty to look at (generally- not just Lively!)
Had the budget been triple I would consider it a wonderful looking movie but what we get for less than twenty million is surprisingly good.
I'm giving most of the credit to Lively though - she gives the role her all.
Anyone not already a fan is likely to be one by the time the end credits roll.
This film looked like a really hard shoot and I couldn't even guess at how many hours, days or week the crew and the cast must have spent in water and/or clinging to rocks.
The effort was well worth it.
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