Many have laid claim to “The Shallows” being the best shark film since “Jaws.” This is a fair assessment, though one must take into consideration the small amount of competition there is. There’s only a handful of shark films skimming the surface, so it’s a small playing field. The majority of shark films are the opposite of “Jaws,” going the over-the-top route ala “Deep Blue Sea” or the “Sharknado” franchise, so comparing them to “Jaws” is a moot point.
While “The Shallows” can be compared to “Jaws” in tone, it does share some semblance to “Deep Blue Sea.” While the majority of the film plays out realistically, harkening back to “Open Water,” the finale would fit right into the one in “Deep Blue Sea.” It’s action-packed and unrealistic (for the most part); enjoyable, but completely going against the tone of the overall film. The film is ninety-five percent “Open Water” and five-percent “Deep Blue Sea.”
That ninety-five percent is a terrifically crafted thriller! It follows the travails of Nancy Adams (Blake Lively), a surfer lost at sea in shark-infested waters at a hidden beach. She found the beach as it’s the one in which her mother visited while pregnant with her in 1991 and she wants to pay her respects to her late mother by returning there. If she doesn’t act fast enough, she’ll be joining her mother.
The script is smartly written by Anthony Jaswinski. He covers his grounds throughout, making sure any loose ends or questionable motives are answered for (outside of the finale, mind you). He makes mention that Nancy is a medical school dropout, which helps in explaining how she’d survive on a rock two-hundred yards from land for hours on end. She’s wise enough to use her bodysuit to close her open wound and stop the blood loss. We believe she’s also smart enough to calculate an escape plan to a buoy yards away from her, swimming through stingray infested waters to counteract the shark’s attack. Even the seagull that stays by her side on the rock, acting as a sort of comic relief, is accounted for: his wing is broken, leaving him flightless. That’s incredible attention to detail!
To keep the story from meandering, Jaswinski sprinkles his script with a stray character or three. Once you get past the introductory exposition Nancy engages in with her father and sister via a Skype call, the only other people she interacts with are Carlos (Óscar Jaenada), her makeshift taxi driver, and two surfers. The latter serve as shark fodder, as does an alcoholic wanderer who attempts to mug her. Other than them, it’s all Nancy.
The script gets a lot of mileage out of Nancy’s personal redemption. Having watched her mother struggle before perishing, she’s dropped out of medical school because she can’t handle the loss it entails. Her survival is symbolic of her fight to redeem herself and make her mother proud. Blake Lively does a superb job of portraying this anguish, even if the script and direction by Jaume Collet-Serra lays it on a bit too thick at times!
Jaume and his cinematographer, Flavio Martínez Labiano, have a great eye! There are gorgeous aerial shots of the ocean, setting the scope for how big and dangerous the tides are. Underwater shots are just as effective, quickly showing the threats beneath. This is also one of the few times the shaky cam works, as it complements the chaotic turmoil Nancy is going through. It actually makes us feel at risk along with Nancy, as opposed to simply being a gimmick (that and it’s only used sparingly). The two also have a strange fixation of shooting Blake Lively’s body, with copious lingering shots of her butt, abs, and breasts. I guess you got to keep the attention of the horndogs somehow.
“The Shallows” may go too over-the-top in the finale, but the journey there is exceptional!
Final Rating: B+