Underwater - Isolating, Claustrophobic and Dangerous
Okay…before I get into this review, I just want to point out my bias towards underwater/water horror films. They always feel claustrophobic and isolated and are really enjoyable to me. I’ll probably write an article listing my favorites someday, but for now…
Underwater was directed by William Eubank and stars Kristen Stewart, Jessica Henwick, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel, John Gallagher Jr, and Mamoudou Athie as a crew of aquatic researchers who work to get to safety after an earthquake (maybe) devastates their subterranean laboratory at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But what they don’t know is that there is more than just the crushing depths, darkness, and ocean floor to worry about…
So, I went into this one with very low expectations, I mean, it’s January…and January horror films don’t exactly have a great track record. But let me start this off by saying…this is probably one of the most entertaining films of 2020 (AND IT’S ONLY JANUARY!!!) As I always do though, I talk about the technical stuff first before giving you my final thoughts, so let’s get down to it!
The film itself had very little I didn’t like. The once in a while pop music (very rarely) probably stood out as something that I wouldn’t have put in a movie like this. Also, Kristen Stewart…I like you but you really need more than one facial expression. The movie’s pacing also felt kind of too quick for me, like it starts off right away at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let go until the end credits. Then there’s T.J. Miller…he’s kind of an odd ball of an actor, and is almost always type-cast as this kind of comic relief character, and I wish they would’ve used him in a different way.
Now for what I DID love about this film…the plot is awesome, it doesn’t give too much away and there’s this air of mystery going about it but you’re so focused on these characters surviving that you can’t friggin’ breathe because EVERYTHING IS MOVING SO DAMN QUICKLY *takes breath* woo…get it? Can’t breathe? Underwater? I’ll see myself out… Anyway, the acting is pretty good here, even Kristen Stewart has shed her horrible Twilight Saga persona, and has proven she can carry a film. I’m expecting a lot out of her in the coming years.
The setting itself felt isolated, claustrophobic, dangerous; every single moment I thought something was going to happen to our cast of characters and it kept my nerves on edge. There are also some great things to be said about the gore in this film, of which there is few, but for a PG-13 film…it says a lot. There are a couple of sequences that had me actually saying out loud, “what the fuck!?”
And finally, let’s talk about the creatures. Look, you knew this was going to come out…and it isn’t much of a spoiler since it’s in the trailers. Their design is amazing, they looked weird and freaky, and the CGI was not terrible at all. There’s also a scene at the end that I won’t spoil that had my jaw dropped.
So, what did I think of this movie? Go see it. I’m a water horror guy, and I felt like this was not an Alien wannabe film, I felt like it was intense, I felt like the horror parts were incredible (the jump scares actually give you something to fear), and the acting was great. We also get an open ending, so the possibility of a sequel or franchise is there. For the creature feature buffs out there…this one is definitely something you cannot miss! I cannot wait to see this one again! Check it out for yourselves, it’s very entertaining and is in theaters now!
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