The Shallows was released this Friday, just in time for “Shark Week” and hot weather.
The ocean and I have a strange relationship. I’ve always been fascinated by it but it’s depth and what lurks beneath has grown even more terrifying as I’ve gotten older. I attribute this to fully knowing that nature is the harshest of mistresses and has no qualms taking my ass out at any time. But mostly, it’s the unknown aspects, as well as known, that draw me in. If I believed at all in astrology, I would sum it up to being born an Aquarius.
Nancy (Blake Lively) escapes her life of medical school demands to find the beach her mother came to after finding out she was pregnant with Nancy. Through a series of expositional pictures, texts, and face-times, we learn she’s conflicted about a future fighting to save lives when her mother succumbed to cancer prior to the events in the movie. After getting ditched by her friend she is brought to the beach by a friendly native resident and begins her soul searching journey. She meets a few nice guys, enjoys the beautiful surf, and reflects longingly on her life. Deciding to stay out for one more wave, Nancy is drawn to a large shape floating atop the water. She sees that the mass is a dead whale and realizes she has stumbled into a shark’s feeding ground.
When the trailer first dropped for The Shallows, I knew I needed to see it on the big screen, which is why I made it a point to venture into society to check it out. Lively took the character of Nancy and added a very real quality to her. Sure, she’s a medical student, so we know she’s going to be able to survive injury better than most of us, but her emotional and human qualities make her seem like an everywoman. She’s funny, she’s tough, and she has a passion that doesn’t feel forced. Also, she kicks some serious ass when it comes to fending off a massive shark with a grudge.
I always like to try to put myself in the character’s position and I’ve come to the decision that I would fare much better against a Jason or a Michael than I would a shark. I think I’d probably just die within minutes of any injury sustained by that massive swimming force. Throughout the film, there were plenty of moments I found myself holding my breath and wincing. The tension was real and that’s what you need in a movie that only has one character who primarily talks to no one, herself, or, in this case, a friendly seagull. I loved that bird, by the way. It was a nice way to relieve the tension in between pulse pounding attacks and dives.
The visuals worked quite well throughout and I liked the look of the shark a lot. Perhaps my favorite effect however was a scene in which Nancy finds herself surrounded by jelly fish (another aspect of the ocean I find utterly mesmerizing). I held my breath as the jellies lit up, knowing they beautiful yet also incredibly dangerous.
In order to make a successful movie surrounding one character stranded on a rock in the ocean, you need the underlying reality of what the film is really about. For me, The Shallows was a story of Nancy coming to terms with the loss of her mother who fought against a disease that could only end one way. For most of us, being stuck in the middle of the ocean would basically be a death sentence. I know I would want to believe that I’d try hard but I don’t have a lot of confidence that I would survive.
The Shallows is a tense flick and a great way to usher in summer and “Shark Week”. I would recommend checking this one out on the big screen if you can so as to experience the full suffocating effect.
