The Shallows - Film Review

“There just aren’t enough shark movies in the world,” said absolutely no one at any point in the history of life.

Ever since Jaws paved the way for the Summer Blockbuster back in 1975, numerous efforts have been produced in the hopes of replicating its success. You can find most of them in the $2.99 DVD bin at your local Wal-Mart. While the ‘Shark Attack’ genre has certainly been prolific, no one would argue in favor of its quality. In fact, other than Jaws, I don’t know if I could name a single other ‘shark movie’ worth your time. (Sharknado, maybe? Shark Tale? Deep Blue Sea? Does Open Water count?)

Until now!

In the midst of a summer movie season overwhelmed by mediocre sequels comes The Shallows, a thrilling attempt to inject the genre with some honest-to-God credibility and genuine scares. That it manages to succeed on any level is a testament to Jaume Collet-Serra’s talents as a director and Blake Lively’s excellent performance. Sure, the story doesn’t amount to much more than ‘Blake Lively vs. Vindictive Shark,’ but it’s a laser-focused, nail-bitingly effective effort and a more-than-welcome diversion from the big-budget insanity released the same weekend. (And, don’t worry, I plan on seeing Independence Day: Resurgence sometime this holiday weekend, so you should be hearing all about that big-budget insanity relatively soon)

At the film’s start, we meet Nancy (Lively). She’s a med student at a crossroads. Watching her mom succumb to cancer has caused her to question whether or not the medical profession is right for her. She opts for some soul-searching (soul-surfing?) on the beach where her mother first discovered she was pregnant with Nancy years ago.

These opening scenes unfold in a lighthearted, leisurely manner with an emphasis on the beautiful setting. Collet-Serra milks the scenery for all its worth, taking full advantage of the breathtaking images. The dialogue and exposition are a bit clunky; the screenplay does its best to cram as much as it can regarding Nancy’s backstory and family life into the first 15 minutes. It’s clearly designed to help us empathize with Nancy, as the rest of The Shallows is entirely devoted to her desperate attempts to survive, but it can’t help feeling a little too on-the-nose. Nancy’s dad even goes so far as to give her a pep talk that explicitly spells out her character arc. Truthfully, Lively is such a likable personality, Anthony Jaswinski screenplay could have gotten away with scrapping the awkward FaceTime conversations entirely and focused solely on her.

None of this matters, however, once the shark shows up. From that point on, The Shallows grips you tight and doesn’t let go for the remainder of its runtime. Collet-Serra knows just the right ways to make you squirm, whether it’s the unflinching close-ups of Nancy mending a brutal shark bite, or the near-unbearable tension milked any time she goes into the water to fetch a necessary tool. He also fully embraces the inherent ridiculousness of the genre. Deep down, we know no shark would ever behave like this, but who cares? It’s all about the excitement, the thrills, the terror and, most importantly, the fun. The Shallows takes itself just seriously enough to get us on board, but never forgets to wink at the audience to remind us it’s not taking itself too seriously.

But despite Collet-Serra’s impressive technique, Lively is the one who carries The Shallows to victory. For the majority of the movie, she’s the only person on screen and she commands it with ease, balancing the fine line between being frantic and intelligent without becoming annoying. It’s difficult not to root for her, not just because of the grisly fate that awaits her if she doesn’t succeed, but because she evokes genuine audience empathy.

Labeling The Shallows ‘the best shark movie since Jaws’ isn’t much of an honor, considering the competition, but The Shallows is an undoubtedly fun, throwaway experience. Its simplicity is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness, but the talent both on screen and behind the camera is too strong to deny. If you’re in the mood to see a terrorized Lively kick some ass, now’s your chance.

FINAL RATING: 3.5/5