The Shallows Movie Review

Released: 12th August 2016 (UK)

Length: 86 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Blake Lively

The Shallows may be off-putting for some at first; it’s another film in a massively crowded sub-genre. Unlike all the wacky, ridiculously over-the-top parodies though, this entry in the family goes for a more serious, contained storyline and tone, placing itself above much of its contemporaries in the process.

The film is as simple as they come; it’s just the young Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) stuck on a rock with a hulking Great White Shark circling waters. What starts off as a simple day of surfing the tides in Mexico quickly turns into a perilous game of cat and mouse; can Nancy use her own ingenuity and resourcefulness to get back to shore, 200 yards away? Aside from a few details about her family, it keeps things completely straightforward and in this case our attention never drifts from the situation Nancy finds herself in. It opens with an ominous set of GoPro footage, engaging the audience straight away by giving a few morsels while leaving the full story under wraps. There’s no denying that The Shallows takes plenty of aspects from the originator of shark films. Much like in Jaws, you don’t see the animal too often which allows the tension and suspense to build fully. This tension is consistent throughout the film, even at the points where Nancy finds a reprieve on the rocks; the changing tides add another layer of desperation to the situation.

The isolated setting drastically limits the cast of The Shallows and considering how she’s the only main actress in the cast, Blake Lively turns in a great performance all around; Nancy’s outgoing personality is expected, but once she’s trapped on that rock, Lively gets across her character’s frightful predicament incredibly well. You’ll often wince as Nancy administers improvisational first aid, run afoul of some coral reefs and watch helplessly as her options narrow with the passing hours.  

The shots on display in The Shallows are seamless, making use of some great angles both over and under water that really capture the thrill of the surf. Of course this quickly transitions into the style that has become atypical of shark films. Point of view shots are the prime suspect here; they aren’t particularly original but they build the suspense well enough. The computer effects on display reflect the film’s lowered budget, though this is to the film’s detriment. The shark looks fine from a distance, but when things get close and personal, the believability drops quite a bit; this is one case where a practical model may have worked better. On the other hand, the practical make-up effects are great; there are some nasty looking injuries that press the sheer viciousness of the shark onto the viewer. What’s interesting is how the film works the make-up into the plot, making for a twisted progression as Nancy is beaten and battered by the elements as well as the deadly fish. The music is kept to a minimum, only rising to an often sinister fever pitch as the shark closes in. If you’ve seen any other shark film over the years then The Shallows will give you exactly what you expect; the film instead falls back its central performance to make an impact.

There have been way too many shark films to count in the last forty years, but The Shallows can stand among the best of them. It’s a B-Movie that manages to weave its initial inspiration into something that just about any modern viewer can enjoy. Add to that a great central performance from Blake Lively and you have an underrated thriller to close out the summer with.

Rating 4/5 Stars