"The Shallows" Review

Title: The Shallows

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Written by: Anthony Jaswinski

Year: 2016


The first two trailers for The Shallows did not represent the film too well in my opinion. For me, those trailers marketed it as a cheaply made picture of poor quality. But the latest trailer that was released recently had me change my tune. It built up the tension well and did not give away too much of the movie. So did the film disappoint like the first two trailers predicted, or was it a nice surprise like the third trailer hinted?

While surfing off the shore of a beautiful yet secret beach, Nancy is attacked by a shark and is left stranded on a small rock 200 yards from shore. Now she must survive long enough for help to arrive, if it arrives at all. But high tide is rolling in, and this shark is hungry.

The Shallows has but one single character; Nancy, who is played by Blake Lively. While not an Oscar-worthy performance, Lively does a very good job in this movie. A vast majority of the film depends on the quality of her acting, and she thankfully delivers. She sells the fear and survival instinct that Nancy is experiencing, and Lively commits to the physicality of the performance. Nothing out of this world, but Lively gives more than a commendable effort that pays off.

The plot is plain and simple. Nancy is stranded from shore with a deadly great white shark circling around her, waiting for his chance. It is simple and it works. The story gets going rather quickly (about 20 minutes into the picture) and it holds the audience's interest throughout its runtime. The script does attempt to add a bit of emotional value to Nancy's struggle to survive by presenting us with some backstory and introducing us to her family. The problem is that it never culminates and ultimately does not add anything to the story. While nothing too detrimental, it would have served the film better if this aspect were left out.

The Shallows really hits its stride as soon as the shark attacks. The first 20 minutes are entertaining, but you will find yourself just waiting for the shark to pop up. This movie excels at generating tension and sustaining this emotion for long periods of time. The shark is a constant threat that keeps Nancy from going in the water, but there are times where she must swim to survive. The movie always finds a way to give Nancy some hope, just before violently ripping it from her grasp. The film reaches a new height once Nancy reaches the buoy. Nancy's being on that buoy is such a stressful experience that is projected on the viewer in magnificently terrifying fashion.

Speaking of terrifying, the shark in this picture is menacing. Most of the time, all you see is the dorsal fin, but it still creates an aura of fear. The shark's attacks are rather telegraphed, yet they are still effective. You know the shark is going to attack soon, but you do not know how soon. And there is a very good reason as to why the shark does not simply go away and look for something else to eat. As for the visual effects on the shark, it looks great underwater, but not so much when it emerges. It will often jump out and attack something, and during a lot of these scenes, the CGI is not up to par with what you would expect. Overall though, the shark is well realized and something to genuinely fear.

The cinematography is heavily inspired by the location. There are few wide and far away shots that showcase the beauty of the scenery, which is ironically the setting for a hellish situation. There are also a lot of "bobbing" shots, where the camera goes above and below the water as the waves pass, which really emphasizes the atmosphere. The lighting is fantastic, truly shining during a black-sky scene in the third act of the film. Being a film about a shark, there are also plenty of underwater sequences, which are shot exceptionally well. The water is a bit unrealistically clear, but it does allow the audience to see everything that is happening, so I will give it a pass.

The Shallows features some creative editing whenever a phone or tablet is used. The images and video calls pop up on the screen in order to avoid the over the shoulder shot. The floating screens look great, but do not entirely match the tone of the film; at least, not after the shark attacks our protagonist. In addition, there is a heavy use of slow motion that works to varying degrees. There are moments where it enhances the experience, but most of time the slow-mo is completely unnecessary. The surfing sequence at the beginning suffers from excessive slow-mo and poor song choice.

All in all, The Shallows is a solid, B-movie thriller. The story is appropriately thin; there is suspense in copious amounts; the shark is frightening; and the film is well directed. You truly feel for Nancy in this situation and cannot help but think how well you would fair under the same circumstances. The script is well written and offers some inventive ideas, such as how Nancy tracks the shark's movements. There is zero emotional value, despite the film's efforts, and there is one particular plot thread that ends up going absolutely nowhere by the end. I was not a fan of the frequent use of slow motion nor was I entirely on board with the club music near the beginning of the flick. But The Shallows did give me the tension-filled survival story I was craving, and I am happy about that. Is it as scary as, say, Jaws? No, but it works in its own right and is a very good thriller, if a tad forgettable.

Grade: B