Review of The Shallows (2016) by Peter W — 28 Aug 2016

The Shallows 2016 M (1 Hour 26 Mins).

Review Finesse Movie Reviews.

For reasons unknown I have always enjoyed a Shark film. Although it is impossible for any film makers on planet earth to even come close to what director Steven Spielberg spoilt us with in 1975 when we were introduced to JAWS.

In previous years we have been graced with many other Shark films such as Deep Blue Sea, Bait (which was filmed in Australia), Open Water and dare I say Sharknado 1, 2 & 3.

The trailers for "The Shallows" did appeal to me and showed promise.

Our lead is Nancy (played by Blake Lively) who recently lost her mother. Nancy was told once about a secret beach by mother and decides take a break from becoming a nurse and going on a journey to find what has been known as a family secret to try and gain some peace.

Nancy is not the only one who knows about this amazing beach. Nancy not only receivers a lift where she is wanting to go but also find two male surfers already at her destination. After surfing for a duration Nancy is attacked by a great white SHARK.

She is also a mere 200 yards from the shore and safety...

The biggest strength of the film "The Shallows" is Sony has manage to do with this film. This film overall looks truly amazing particular in the film's bright and clear colours. The water is clear bright blue and sometimes even bright green. The details of crabs along the beach or jelly fish under the sea. The film's audio track is also a major win for the film. Which I expected nothing less from a film created by Sony pictures.

While I praise many of the film's visuals effects. The main visual effect that should be best of them all sadly wasn't was the Shark like it should be....

At times the shark does look incredibly fake and computer generated. For example I noticed a couple of shots where the shark is biting something but I can't see the damage caused by the Sharks teeth as it bites and chops at an object. Our lead actress is also caught looking at the wrong direction at times and becomes a visual hit and miss.

The other downfall with The Shallows is the case of the film's movie trailer providing way to much information (similar to recent trailers like Batman V Superman) and these are "key" elements that simply provide me with no shock or surprise when when certain characters are effected by the situation. And I'm talking about 30 mins of scenes until we discover something that the films trailer has already provided.

The key elements that are missing from the trailer are the start and the film's ending. Once the audience is shown the credits rolling, I feel many viewers will not be demanding a seconding viewing. This isn't a big negative but It's just not that type of film that requires repeat viewings.

The concept of being trapped at a beach for a lengthy period due to a tense situation I will admit is new and creative. I also enjoyed seeing the actress Blake Lively taking in a new role that requires a higher level of suspense compared to her previous work as an actress. If you miss it in cinemas, it look great on the new Ultra HD 4K Disc when it arrives in stores.

5.8/10.