Underwater

 

A few people have been a little sarcastic about this much delayed underwater creature feature by calling it The Abyssmal. A little harsh on a decent, if perfunctory, film but you can’t really deny the obvious parallels between this and the likes of Alien and The Abyss. Set seven miles below the ocean surface, a ragtag team of survivors fight for their lives following a deadly explosion at an underwater station. It’s believed that an earthquake caused the explosion, but it appears human activity 20000 fathoms under the sea has awakened something unknown to humanity.


The film’s rather unimaginative title, which spells exactly where the film is set, mirrors the general lack of surprise or originality. Many of the good aspects of the film, such as the setting and the creature design, are inspired by other (better) movies (with the monster design being inspired by H.P Lovecraft). Admittedly, it does this with an old-fashioned charm that’s appealing and enjoyable, but the thinly written characters means the film’s conclusion falls flat.

As shown in 2019’s 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, underwater filming presents a unique set of challenges. The most notable of these challenges being shooting underwater obviously brings in issues where the lack of light is the most prominent. Light doesn’t reach the sea floor and this environment makes it hard to tell what’s really happening. Whilst the film perhaps tries to mirror the claustrophobia and confusion of the characters, it does make the film feel rather incoherent (particularly when the film cuts away before the deaths get too gory) in the film’s more dramatic moments on the sea floor.

Kirsten Stewart tries her best in the lead role, but it still feels like an effort to pay the bills especially considering her choices of late have been slightly pickier as she feel’s she’s done with basic, by the numbers thrillers (that said this was shot three years ago). The rest of the cast are fine, but a drawback is TJ Miller whose given dialogue so obnoxious one can’t wait for the moment he eventually meets his demise.