The premise of this movie caught my attention right off the bat. I have always had an odd intrigue into movies with people in perilous situations, encountering dangerous animals and being left to make difficult decisions in order to save their lives (some of my personal favorites that fall into this category are "The Revenant", "127 Hours", "Into the Wild, and "Open Water"). In "The Shallows", the main character, Nancy, is stranded on a rock fairly close to shore, yet a great white shark prevents her from getting back to safety. One of my major concerns going into this film was how an entire movie could be created around such a plot line. How could a movie about a girl versus a shark possibly hold my attention for more than an hour? "The Shallows" was a brief film, clocking in at less than an hour and a half. To my shock, I managed to be thoroughly engaged throughout the entire movie.
Several components of this film pleasantly surprised me. I thought the overarching storyline was set up well- frequently when watching these sorts of films, the audience remains puzzled to why a character is alone in this sort of scenario. "The Shallows" gives a thorough, though maybe a little too sappy, backstory on the protagonist. The juxtaposition between the beginning of the film to when chaos starts brewing was exceptional. In the opening, the audience is exposed to gorgeous shots of this beach. Nancy is having a blast surfing the waves, and upbeat music is paired with this scene to further accentuate the fun times. The theme of the film sharply changes when danger encroaches on the main character. The lighting darkens, the music intensifies. This tactic can usually be gimmicky and feel very forced- I thought it was done very well in this film, however.
Another feature of this film that impressed me was the fact that it did not shy away from showing some fairly graphic, gory scenes. While this film is rated PG-13, the audience is still exposed to some painful moments. For example, in one scene, Lively's character sews up her own wound using jewelry. "The Shallows" impressed me by going as full-force as it could with its brutality. Lively's acting also impressed me. I believed the pain she was feeling. Props to her for taking part in this sort of role.
I was doubtful as this movies' ability to stand out among the countless other movies made to villainize sharks. While I think this is a far-from-perfect film, the producers did create some scenes that truly captured me. This film was far from dull. Sometimes movies like these can just drag on, but the pace of this film was impressive. This sort of portrayal of sharks has been time and time again in Hollywood. Sharks are stereotypically portrayed as these bloodthirsty creatures, eager to tear surfers limb from limb. In reality, there is on average only one American shark fatality every two years. It always upsets me to see animals cast with unfair stereotypes, creating fear and anxiety where it doesn't need to dwell.
While I was overall pleased with this film, there were certain aspects that I could have done without. On several occasions, graphics pop up on the screen- most of the time this subtracts from the quality of a film in my opinion. This is designed to allow the audience to see text messages, photos, and other shots from a cell phone or camera. While in some cases the visual aids the audience, most of the time I found it to be distracting.
The main downfall of this film for me was the last half hour. The drama quickly escalated into a desperate action film, which from there morphed into a sappy heroic tale. I don't want to spoil the ending for the movie, but I can say that tactics of survival and desperation rapidly turned from realistic and thought-out, to completely sporadic and unrealistic. The authenticity of the film seemed to greatly diminish by the end. The closing scene also felt very surface-level, showcasing Lively reverting into her old lackluster acting methods.
As a whole, I was overall impressed with this film. While it is very far from one of the greatest, it surprised me positively on many occasions. To viewers less critical than I, this should be a must-watch on your summer list- just maybe don't watch it the night before your surfing trip.
