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Set in the near future, Underwater follows the crew of a drilling facility in the middle of the ocean that is partially destroyed by what they assume is an earthquake. As the remaining survivors set out for safety, they have to find ways to stay alive from their surroundings, but also from the real threat: a giant underwater creature.
This was more or less a blind watch. I had it on my Letterboxd watchlist, and had seen it sporadically mentioned around social media, but other than the title and the poster, I didn't know much else about it. I tend to have a thing for films about small groups of people trapped at the mercy of this or that, and this film delivered just that.
Just by reading the premise, it is no secret that this film borrows a lot from Alien and Aliens, but as you watch it, you can really feel the connections. The weird thing is that it still kinda works. Not sure if it was really that good, or if it is my penchant for the subgenre, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
One of the things I liked from the film is its emphasis in characters. Despite its plot driven mechanisms, there is a lot of focus put on who these characters are and how they might be feeling. At the center of it all is Norah Price (Kristen Stewart), the mechanical engineer of the facility that seems to be haunted by choices of the past. Stewart does a really good job of adding layers to her character that I get the feeling weren't even in the script.
Rounding out the cast is Vincent Cassel as the captain, Jessica Henwick and John Gallagher, Jr. as a couple that works at the facility, and T.J. Miller as the aptly cast loud-mouth. Miller is probably the only weak link in the cast; not because he's T.J. Miller, but because he's trying too hard. I get the feeling that he was going for a "Hudson" vibe, but failed. His character is just obnoxious and annoying.
But again, even despite Miller's character and a somewhat derivative story, the film stays afloat thanks to great characterizations (namely Stewart), competent direction, and solid tension and scares. So if you're in the mood for a film about a small group of people trapped at the mercy of this or that, this one might do the trick.
Grade:
UNDERWATER
(2020, Eubank)
(2020, Eubank)
"We did this. We drilled the bottom of the ocean. We took too much, and now she's taking back."
Set in the near future, Underwater follows the crew of a drilling facility in the middle of the ocean that is partially destroyed by what they assume is an earthquake. As the remaining survivors set out for safety, they have to find ways to stay alive from their surroundings, but also from the real threat: a giant underwater creature.
This was more or less a blind watch. I had it on my Letterboxd watchlist, and had seen it sporadically mentioned around social media, but other than the title and the poster, I didn't know much else about it. I tend to have a thing for films about small groups of people trapped at the mercy of this or that, and this film delivered just that.
Just by reading the premise, it is no secret that this film borrows a lot from Alien and Aliens, but as you watch it, you can really feel the connections. The weird thing is that it still kinda works. Not sure if it was really that good, or if it is my penchant for the subgenre, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
One of the things I liked from the film is its emphasis in characters. Despite its plot driven mechanisms, there is a lot of focus put on who these characters are and how they might be feeling. At the center of it all is Norah Price (Kristen Stewart), the mechanical engineer of the facility that seems to be haunted by choices of the past. Stewart does a really good job of adding layers to her character that I get the feeling weren't even in the script.
Rounding out the cast is Vincent Cassel as the captain, Jessica Henwick and John Gallagher, Jr. as a couple that works at the facility, and T.J. Miller as the aptly cast loud-mouth. Miller is probably the only weak link in the cast; not because he's T.J. Miller, but because he's trying too hard. I get the feeling that he was going for a "Hudson" vibe, but failed. His character is just obnoxious and annoying.
But again, even despite Miller's character and a somewhat derivative story, the film stays afloat thanks to great characterizations (namely Stewart), competent direction, and solid tension and scares. So if you're in the mood for a film about a small group of people trapped at the mercy of this or that, this one might do the trick.
Grade: