Review of The Shallows (2016) by Amanda B — 26 Oct 2016

Directed by Jaume Collett-Serra and starring Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, and Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo, the 2016 summer box office success, The Shallows brought a different psychological mindset of action and horror. My first impression before viewing the film was that it was going to be a predictable, cliche film. Scenes here and there were very predictable, however, towards the end of the film, there were scenes that I did not expect to happen. The climax was well done, changing the predictable impression into a plot twist. My lasting impression was that this film wasn't an ordinary shark thriller film.

Former medical student and avid surfer, Nancy Adams travels to a secluded beach with an unknown name where her now deceased mother was pregnant with her. She befriends a friendly local who is her form of transportation to the beach. At the beach, Nancy befriends two other surfers whom she surfs with for hours. On her last day of surfing, Nancy discovers a whale carcass and makes her way towards the beach when a great white shark bumps into her and bites her leg. As a result, Nancy is stranded in the shallows, battling with the shark to get back to the beach.

Blake Lively was the key actress in this film. It was unique that the director had the film focused solely on her, but he included eight other supporting actors. All of the actors and actresses portrayed their character very well. The acting wasn't faked or forced, it was realistic. Lively's acting exceeded my expectations. Her acting felt natural and it carried throughout the film. Her screams felt very realistic and there was a lot of emotional put into the character. The other actors and actresses acted very natural as well, it didn't feel forced.

The director had a very clever and unique visual style in naming the film. The majority of the plot occurred in the shallows of the beach, which I thought was very fitting and appropriate. Additionally, the slogans tied in with the film title. The slogans used were, "What was once in the deep is now in the shallows" and "Not just another day at the beach." Prior to viewing the film, the theatrical poster and those slogans used set the tone and psychologically intrigued the audience. The film opened up with a scene that was used towards the end of the film. At first, the opening scene didn't make sense, however towards the end of the film when that scene was viewed again, the opening made more sense and that enhanced the director's visual style. The director, Collett-Serra used a variety of unique shots to convey the film. There was a diversity of medium shots, wide shots, extreme close ups, and over the shoulder shots. The one shot that stood out to me was when the director had a wide shot of Lively on the rock overlooking the beach. That set the mood that she was stranded but yet so close to the shore. The director also distorted the audience's view but having a bird's eye shot of Lively and then quickly transitioning to an extreme close up. As the director displayed the various shots, Collett-Serra had music that accommodated the scenes very well. It enhanced the drama and significantly heightened the tension. The shots and the music combined to visually display the setting. In addition, the director had various methods of conveying perspective. It was unique that Collett-Serra had a sort of holographic image of the camera video chat and of the watch. Additionally, there was the use of a Gopro which showed the perspective of the one surfer. That added dynamic to the film because later on, the Gopro shows the surfer encountering the shark. Furthermore, the director had fitting transitions. In the beginning of the film, the director had an abrupt transition. But as the tension between Lively's character and the shark escalates, the transitions from scenes to scenes gradually fades out with the music. The director had a combination of techniques building up to the climax. The shots were varied, the transitions were quick, and the music heightened the drama.

Throughout the film, the plot is very clear cut and early on you understand the motive of Lively's character. From beginning to end, the film makes sense. The ending didn't leave any confusion and concluded well.

Jaume Collett-Serra's visual style presented a clear point of view from start to finish. From start to finish, my impression changed from, "This is gonna be another predictable shark film" to "This wasn't what I expected to happen." The film was very engaging throughout and held the audience's attention. There weren't any loopholes, the film transitioned smoothly from one scene to the next. The music and shots conveyed the director's style. On top of that, the actors and actresses portrayed their roles superbly; creating a very well done film.