10-24-21


Preface: Video game guru AngryJoeShow said this flick was a neat concept and worth checking out, despite the problems with it, so I got it from the library last week. I typically enjoy Kristen Stewart (just saw her in The Runaways w/Dakota Fanning) and the concept did indeed seem cool.


TL/DR - What did you think of this movie? Rate/discuss!

Overall, this was a good time! I really liked the scenario of a drill crew being in great peril underwater, deep within the sea. It is a good-looking flick, too. I adored the lighting and the set pieces. The camerawork in those cramped spaces was well done. It even put a new twist on shaky cam, which I generally dislike, so whatever style this movie had was much more tolerable. The tension was well done, and if this is Eubank's love letter to Ridley Scott, then so be it! I read an article afterward on why Stewart took on the project, wanting to embrace the physicality of the role, the suit, as well as her phobias of water and enclosed spaces. I thought she did swell.

I also enjoyed the camaraderie of the crew, very A L I E N S vibe to it. This is the main reason why I wish the film ran longer, only at 90 minutes. We didn't get much time to enjoy their banter and learn about these folks that said "yeah, I'll join a crew in the deepest part of the ocean." I hope they had great health insurance. No idea about real life drilling jobs, but it seems very volatile and dangerous at the drop of a hat. More time with these folks would've been cool to see. The comic relief guy was awesome and was definitely our vessel to be part of the crew. The predicament itself made time more fleeting, I suppose, but 90 minutes just wasn't enough. We didn't get to learn enough about Kristen's character, either, which I think hurt the ending overall.

Dunno how many of y'all play video games, but I think this would be an awesome game to play! Traversing the sea floor in a mech suit, with who-knows-what out there, your oxygen only so much, the pressure just begging to crack your helmet as you weakly hope to once again see a road or a beach, something above this bottomless chasm you have no business being in.

Now, themes:

Environmentalism? I didn't really mind it. I do personally think there's a point where humanity as a species should not and say it didn't. I liked the "corporate greed" implications, especially the newspaper clippings during the end credits. Stuff like that is why I am fond of Resident Evil, even Aliens with the Yutani corporation, and other movie worlds I'm forgetting at the moment.

Final verdict for me would be a 6/10. Above average monster flick, and I did enjoy the less "in your face" approach. I much prefer these jump scares over a horror movie aimed at today's teens. Piggishly, it doesn't hurt to see KS in her panties for most of the movie.

I also dug the reveal of the big bad toward the end as an avid fantasy reader, which again would make for an awesome video game climax.

This movie is not going to change the world, or wow the majority based on reviews, but this was a good time and an immersive cinematic experience. The science actuality aside, of which I'm generally clueless, was no big deal to me and it seemed mostly consistent. But man, what a crappy situation to be in!
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