Where to start…
Underwater, directed by William Eubank (whom I’m not familiar with), is a departure from what’s become a tiresome genre–the water horror genre. Ever since Jaws, we’ve been bombarded with one shark movie after another, with the sharks growing exponentially in size with each new movie, or growing in number or–God help us–being pulled from the ocean in a series of tornadoes. Then there is pretty much the same movie for freshwater; just replace the shark with an alligator, crocodile, or anaconda and you’ve got yourself a shitty movie that will make lots of money.
This film, however, plays more like space or sci-fi horror. From the very beginning, when the camera is descending to the depths of the ocean, you get this feeling of extreme isolation, much like you get in Alien or Event Horizon. It’s unsettling, and that anxiety never leaves. The action starts just minutes after the opening credits and never really lets up. It’s an edge-of-your-seat thriller that never lets you relax. And it is a monster movie, but thankfully the monster is not a shark.
We spend little time getting to know the characters, which I suppose is a good thing for any movie involving Kristen Stewart. If you ever want a character that has no personality and is completely unlovable, then Stewart is your gal. Personally, I think a better lead actress would have made Underwater a much more enjoyable film. Someone like Emily Blunt would have been perfect. Or Vera Farmiga–give her a chance to redeem herself after the disaster that was Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The other actors were fine, but forgettable. T.J. Miller is the comic relief, as he always is, and Vincent Cassel as Captain Lucien probably has the strongest performance. Really, you can’t go wrong with Cassel in anything. But having a lead in Stewart that you don’t sympathize with takes away some of the anxiety. You just don’t care enough.
The movie’s pacing seems forced at times, and this leads to occasional confusion for the viewer and scenes that are difficult to follow. The murkiness of many of the underwater shots doesn’t help much, though I suppose this adds to the feelings of isolation and fear of the unknown.
Overall, it’s an exciting movie and certainly not a waste of time. But, given a chance to do it again, I would wait for the price to drop before renting it at $5.99.
Find it here: Amazon