Let’s see how long we can last as we discuss The Shallows, a survival thriller about a shark, without bringing up Jaws.
Unfortunately for her, she didn’t get the level of creative behind-the-camera help they did.Before we begin, let’s strike a deal. It was a gamble on her part, whether she could withstand the close scrutiny of a camera alone onscreen the majority of the time, like Robert Redford in All Is Lost or, to a lesser extent, Matt Damon in The Martian. The camera is in her face and all over her body all the time. That said, a generous measure of sympathy cannot be denied to Lively, who is entirely game for the heavy rigors obviously demanded of her in the water and on the rocks. The abundant danger and physical pain endured by the lead character intermittently calls to mind the suffering depicted in 127 Hours, but this comparison only works to the present pic’s detriment. There’s no catharsis here, only confusion on top of shrugging shoulders and, after a brief one-year-later postscript, eye-rolling. While the film itself may jump the shark early on, a scene of the menace jumping the rock like a crazed seal in pursuit of its main course is saved for shortly before the murky underwater action climax, in which it’s impossible to discern what’s going on. The next day, Nancy is unable to warn the returning two dudes about what awaits them in the surf.īox-Office Preview: 'Independence Day: Resurgence' a Huge Wild Card And when the shark becomes frustrated by not quite managing to sink its many teeth into its blond main object of desire, it delivers capital punishment to a tubby drunk for the crime of trying to make off with Nancy’s backpack on the beach. There’s a large whale floating about nearby whose bloody open wounds prove enticing to the shark as well as to many birds. The med-school background comes in handy here, as it’s evidently taught her to (unconvincingly) suture a deep wound with the ear pins she conveniently wears.
When Nancy stays out there a little too long and the beast shows up, she takes refuge on the only available real estate, a tiny rock island distinguished by its sharp edges and coral, on which she severely cuts a leg. She has the place, situated on a perfect, jungle-enshrouded crescent bay, almost to herself, save for a couple of local good-times guys who warn her about the tides and get in a couple of scenic runs before calling it a day. See Blake Lively's Press Tour Wardrobe for 'The Shallows' (So Far)Įstablishing from the outset a visual approach that presents no coherent style at all - shots come at you from persistently unrelated angles with inconsistent focal lengths and lenses, film speeds change willy-nilly - the helmer still manages to set up the basic situation: Gregarious Texan medical student Nancy (Lively) has come to her late mother’s favorite beach (with Australia’s stunning Lord Howe Island standing in for Mexico) for some head-clearing surfing.
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