Review of The Shallows (2016) by Datamari — 27 Jun 2016

When it seems as if shark movies are dead, The Shallows rises up from... the shallows. I tried, i'm sorry.

We're in a period in time when shark movies are treated like action-adventure films with movies like Sharknado and... 2-Headed Shark Attack. But from the depths of Hollywood's creativity, we have a refreshing breath of fresh air simply known as The Shallows. Directed by the same guy behind Run All Night and the underrated Orphan, The Shallows follows Blake Lively as she tries to survive a great white shark as it circles it's feeding ground. I found the movie to be a very well directed, acted, and executed thriller. Blake Lively gave a good performance, in one way or another, and the tension was real. I was on the edge of my seat for a few scenes, considering how real the CGI shark looked. However, sometimes the film has a bit of an identity crisis, sometimes going from a teen-beach flick to a suspenseful shark thriller. Movies like Jaws built up the tension straight out of the gate so that you knew what you were in for, but with The Shallows, some people may be turned off by the upbeat tone of a supposed spooky shark film. Also, sometimes the film decides to go into slo-mo a lot, and I mean a LOT, for some reason. You can make a lot of action happen in one scene, but you don't need to drag out the movie by making it seem like something big is going to happen that will change the character's dilemma.

Overall, The Shallows is a fun thriller that, much like Money Monster last month, really isn't anything special. It isn't the Jaws of this generation, it's just one of those movies that you can go out and see on a date night, a rainy day when it comes out on Blu-Ray, nothing else is going on that day, etc. I liked the tension, the craft, and the strong performance by Blake Lively, and i'm not talking about how good she looks in a swimsuit, but ultimately, if you've got nothing else better to do that day and you've already seen Finding Dory and The Conjuring 2, this film will hold your attention, but it's nothing special, really.

The Shallows gets a 7/10.