Okay, we were all thinking it. The Shallows is just another lame shark thriller where a damsel in distress needs saving from evil Mr. Shark who is ready to eat her alive in one gulp. But, guess what? Not this time.
So, what is The Shallows really about? Well, it is based on Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) who drops out of medical school after the news of her mother’s death and travels to a secluded beach in Mexico. At the beach, which is ironically nicknamed paradise, she begins to surf again and recalls how her mother used to surf here while pregnant with her.
Now, here is where things get exciting. From the distance Nancy sees a humpback whale carcass floating on the beach and before you know it, a large great white shark knocks her off her board and viciously bites her leg. Instinctively, she swims to the nearest safe location, a buoy, which is 200 metres away from the shore. She then must find a way to escape a horrific shark attack by using her knowledge and wits to survive.
What differentiates the Jaume Collet-Serra-directed film from other shark thrillers as that Lively is the protagonist of the film and is her own hero. She’s willing to kick some shark ass, without relying on anyone else, which we cannot wait for!
Rotten Tomatoes even gave the film a 76 percent score, while IndieWire praised it to be as great as Jaws and states how:
“Unequivocally the best shark movie since ‘Jaws’ (yes, even better than ‘Open Water’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea’), this back-to-basics thriller either eliminates or reclaims all of the excess and gimmickry that have watered down the genre since Steven Spielberg first invented it”
Take a look at the trailer for yourself and see why it’s been receiving such good reviews and so much anticipation from the public.
The Shallows is out in cinemas now! Will you be watching?