Review of 47 Meters Down (2017) by Thequietgamer — 28 Jan 2018

While far from Jaws, 47 Meters Down manages to be one of the more frightening shark films out there thanks to it's tense scenario and uncomfortably murky waters. Unlike a lot of shark films, the majority of the action takes place under the water. The protagonists aren't on a boat (Jaws), floating stranded at surface level (Open Water), or stuck on some rock (The Shallows). They're down deep and with limited visibility. Both concepts are used well, particularly the latter. Kudos to the film for coming up with a reason why these girls can't just book it back to the surface as well. The thing that's going to be the hardest for most people to deal with is the how the characters are handled. The acting from our leads is fine, but the movie falls prey to the old horror trope of barely fleshing them out before hand. It does more than most, but it's still only gives them a little bit of life and backstory before throwing them into the water. We learn that one of them has some boyfriend issues and that's all there is. It's not enough to make viewers truly care about the people at risk. To genuinely give a crap whether or not they make it out alive. Still, it's kind of easy to look past that stuff. Shark movies are about the thrills after all. That's their big appeal. 47 Meters Down has them in spades. The characters race against an ever-dwindling air supply, surprise shark attacks that they literally cannot see coming, and being forced to leave the relative safety of their cage to grab supplies and contact help. It manages to do all of that without ever feeling stupid. Now, I'm sure some suspension of disbelief is going to be required, but unlike so many other films of this nature the people in the most danger actually seem competent given how it is all new territory for them. They're two unprepared people doing the best they can in an entirely unfamiliar scenario. As a result it kept me thoroughly engaged and on the edge of my seat.

8.