Ever since Jaws debuted and started the summer blockbuster phenomenon, shark movies show up from time to time to try and recreate that success. Last year’s the Shallows had some solid moments, but doesn’t have the staying power of Jaws. This summer 47 Meters Down really resembles Gravity more than Jaws yet doesn’t come close to either. Directed by Johannes Roberts, who co-wrote the film with Ernest Riera, this film suffers mainly from weak writing.
47 Meters Down tries to be a suspenseful film, but suffers from cheesiness.
Lisa (Mandy Moore) and her sister, Kate (Claire Holt), are on a vacation in Mexico to escape the woes of their normal life. After meeting a couple of guys, they are encouraged to take a trip where they enter a shark cage. An accident sends them 47 meters to the bottom of the ocean where there is limited oxygen in their tanks and sharks stopping them from surfacing.
There are a lot of silly moments in this movie. When the cage drops the first time, there is a close up of the meter to show they’re no longer a mere five meters from the surface. However, they haven’t yet hit the Ocean floor, but the device already reads 47 meters. Then they drop the rest of the way and will tell Captain Taylor (Matthew Modine) that they are 47 meters down. It’s a subtle error in editing that speaks volumes about the film. The girls talking way too much when they should be “conserving oxygen” and checking gauges and telling the audience that they’re almost out of air.
The one thing this film does well is create a scenario that is absolutely terrifying. Despite goofy dialogue and some forced jump scares, the idea of being stranded at the bottom of the sea is horrific. In this way, it’s a lot like Gravity. The hopelessness and isolation employed expertly in Gravity is repeated here. Unfortunately the film is nowhere near as well structured as Gravity and feels much more contrived.
Final thoughts…
If you saw the trailer for 47 Meters Down and thought it might be corny, you’re right. If you thought there may at least be some really cool shark moments, there really isn’t. It is fairly tense at times and the characters are likable enough to care about their outcome. 47 Meters Down earns the Not a Total Waste of Time.
Berkreviews.com 