Mediocre
Summary
There are some great shark attacks in this movie, but quite a few characters are unlikeable or do really dumb things, which takes you out of the movie.
Plot: When a plane is forced to make an emergency landing in the ocean, the passengers fall prey to multiple shark attacks, leading flight officer Ben (Aaron Eckhart) to lead the survivors to safety.
Review: I’m a sucker for shark movies. Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows – hell, even 47 Meters Down, after the bland first twenty minutes. When I found out Renny Harlin, who directed the aforementioned Deep Blue Sea, also helmed this movie, I thought, “Hell yes! I need to see this!” I then gave myself a high-five, because…I’m kind of lame, I guess.
So, I finally gave it a watch, and as far as the shark attacks go, they deliver. They are numerous, they are exciting at times, and oh, how the blood flows into the water. This movie could have been called “Bloody Water”; there’s so much blood. The plane crash is exciting as well and delivers on the spectacle. As far as delivering the thrills, the tension, everything you want in a shark movie, it’s all here.
…Unfortunately, I couldn’t have cared less about any of the characters, which was a problem. A big problem. Aaron Eckhart, whom I otherwise like, plays a father who refuses to come home to help care for his cancer-stricken son at the beginning of the movie. Ummm…this is the guy I’m supposed to get behind? Angus Sampson plays a cartoonishly villainous passenger, a man who loves cigarettes and sees no problem sacrificing flight attendants for his safety. You want more? How about the shallow grandmother who tells the nerdy guy he’s a five and will never get the hot Asian flight attendant, who in her opinion is a nine? How about the father and mother who leave their children to have sex in the bathroom? How about the little girl who perpetually wanders into danger for no reason and stands there with a stunned look on her face? The American esports player who hates his Chinese counterpart for no reason?
You see what I mean? The shark attacks can be as awesome as you want; they can even have lasers on their heads! (I wonder where I heard that one before). But if I don’t care about the characters getting chewed up and spit out, if I don’t care if they live or die, then a lot of the excitement is gone. I was cheering more for the sharks than the human beings in this movie, and that’s never a good sign.
As for the story – it’s alright. I mean, it’s serviceable. About 88 screenwriters worked on it, and it shows. It’s hilarious when you have an entire village of writers work on a script, and it’s paint-by-numbers: Airplane goes up, airplane goes down, people are eaten, and eventually, the day is saved. Of course, I don’t know what bright writer’s idea it was to make so many of the characters not only expendable, but to make you nod your head when one person observes, “I prefer animals to humans.” Well, with human beings like this lot of assholes, who can blame you?
Concerning the technical aspects, yes, the movie is well shot, including the night scenes. Renny Harlin is competent and knows how to mount an action scene properly. That is never in question, and this movie is no different. The soundtrack…I guess it was there? There was probably music. Nothing memorable.
So yeah, Deep Water – a second-rate shark attack movie that is below the talents of the director, the cast, hell, I’ll throw the caterer in there as well. A nice, pretty movie on the surface, but beneath the surface you’ll find some craptacular characters who make the 100-minute run time feel longer than it is.