Underwater
*Spoilers in the last paragraph*
It took me a while to see this film because for some reason its not playing at the AMC theaters that are most convenient to me. Alas, a three day weekend has arrived and I found the time. I didn’t think much of it from the previews but it did look like it could be a fun little sci-fi picture, kind of like Alien if it were underwater. I definitely feel like it did draw inspirations from that film but does not keep up in quality.
The film is about a crew that is drilling deep in the Mariana Trench, when an earthquake hits. This causes displacement and damage for the crew but there seems to be something far more sinister deep below in the waters. The crew are soon attacked by dangerous and undiscovered creatures. A fight for survival ensues as the crew attempt to escape with their lives. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Kassel, and T.J. Miller.
I saw The Signal by William Eubank and also the Angels and Airwaves film, Love. He has a knack for creating beautiful imagery and getting technical behind the camera. I found a lot of Underwater to be hard to see. The camera moves to quick and at times its hard to register what you are looking at. The film also does not stay consistent in its approach and bounces around. It tries to pack emotional weight but the characters are under cooked.
Some of the moments near the end are very nice to look at. This film does take a look at the mythos of Cthulhu, and that is what they encounter at the bottom of the sea. Its majestic and terrifying at the same time and shows just how big and mysterious the deep waters of this world has. It is terrifying and I think Eubank did a good job of capturing that on screen, despite failing to push a worthy narrative.
6.5/10
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