It was never easy to find good shark movies. Something I discussed previously in my article, Good Shark Movies. However, during the last five years, things have become increasingly more complicated. There’s like a new shark movie almost every month. And most of them are generic slop without almost any redeeming qualities. Fear Below was a pleasant surprise, along with the movie we’re going to be talking about today. Deep Water is a messy, deliciously brutal, and highly entertaining survival thriller featuring your favorite predators: sharks. All three of these elements work together to create a fun yet quite bizarre attempt at a summer blockbuster.
A definition of a guilty pleasure B-movie punching way above its weight class. Which comes as no surprise, since this is director Renny Harlin’s second movie in the genre after Deep Blue Sea. You surely remember that late nineties classic starring Thomas Jane, Samuel L. Jackson, and LL Cool J. I sure do, as it’s one of my favorites from that era. Deep Water follows the very colorful passengers of an airplane heading to Shanghai from Los Angeles. As you can already guess, something bad is going to happen, and those unlucky enough to survive will find themselves in shark-infested waters. Shark-infested waters of the open sea, to be more precise.
So, this is not just a shark movie but also an airplane movie. And I have to say that I love both of these genres equally. First of all, this is a serious production with a decent $40 million budget that went mostly to the special effects. This means the quality of the visuals will be excellent. Something you’re going to realize early on. I have to implore you to get through the opening 15 minutes that are pretty generic. If you’re willing to do this, you will be rewarded with arguably the best airplane crash ever! I am not exaggerating, nor am I joking. My fucking jaw dropped when I first saw it. When it was over, I was instantly thinking of rewinding the movie and watching it again.
However, I decided to save it for a second viewing. Or any unsuspecting guests whom I might lure with the promise of a movie so bad that it’s good. The story of how Deep Water came to be starts back in 2012 with the little-known Australian gem Bait. Featuring a bold concept of a shark in a supermarket, it was a lot of fun. So, they started working on a sequel about an airplane crashing in an ocean full of danger. However, after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the whole thing was scrapped. Ten years later, it was time to revisit the project, with legendary Renny Harlin set to direct.
He’s the guy behind such nineties classics as Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and The Long Kiss Goodnight. If you’ve seen any of them, you know what to expect here. Deep Water is a gloriously brutal movie featuring all kinds of highly graphic scenes. From people dying horrifically during the crash of the airplane to sharks eating them alive, it’s all deliciously in-your-face. I’m so tired of these “big safe movies” where they reject realism in favor of a PG-13 rating or something like that. Being in an airplane crash and being eaten alive by ancient predators are inherently violent and horrific events. And they should be portrayed as such.
Absolutely nobody is safe, and this applies even to some characters that were traditionally safe. That’s all I’m going to say about that. After all this praise, it’s time for some criticism. The script, along with every single character, is beyond salvation. Actually, I will be writing a separate article about this, so do check it out when it’s out. Not only are the characters generic, but their arcs, reactions, and everything else are just crazy. It’s like someone went out of their way to do the opposite of what you should do in this type of movie.
Of course, if you’re looking for plausibility or realism in Deep Water, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Well, apart from the airplane crash. Towards the end, some of the scenes are actually so bad they’re hilarious. Like the one where Aaron Eckhart is looking into the horizon poignantly. I mean, I couldn’t stop laughing at that one. So, yeah, we got good old dependable Eckhart in the lead role, along with Ben Kingsley, who didn’t have much screen time. Angus Sampson (The Mule) was excellent as the irritating Dan, along with Rob Kipa-Williams, who plays Jim.
So, in the end, just know what you’re getting yourself into. If you’re looking for some mindless and thrilling fun, Deep Water is the perfect choice. The pacing is excellent, as once all hell breaks loose, it just keeps, well, loosing. Granted, I wish there was a bit more emphasis on the sharks instead of those bizarre backstories and generic personal drama, but what can you do? At least you can marvel at some of these character arcs. I found Ben’s the most insane, as he’s most definitely not the hero you would expect from this type of story.
Director: Renny Harlin
Writers: Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Angus Sampson, Lucy Barrett, Richard Crouchley, Molly Belle Wright
Fun Facts: Aaron Eckhart plays a copilot who’s airplane crashes for the second time in his career, some ten years after Sully.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29516222/
