Underwater is an aquatic-based horror film directed by William Eubank and stars Kristen Stewart.
When an underwater drilling site is critically damaged, a group of survivors must brave the darkness under the seas as a new threat is discovered.
Underwater is in the same group of underwater genre thrillers such as Leviathan with the aesthetics of Alien. Sharing the same tropes doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining.
There are two horrific environmental scenarios at work in Underwater: being underwater with creatures of unknown origin trying to kill you, and being inside of an imploding drilling station. The anxiety kicks in as the station starts imploding on itself, and our heroes must traverse the claustrophobic ruins of the station. They have to pull survivors out of close quarter rubble. They find bodies within the crumbling tunnels. These sets are really there, aiding in the movies plausibility. Forget actual science if inaccurate, the thought of imploding on yourself due to water pressure makes me shudder.
Out on the bottom of the ocean, there is a constant darkness, and our survivors must continuously scan the horizon for danger. When the creatures appear, the scares aren’t for cheap thrills, and move the movie along at a fast pace.
The characters are cardboard cutouts played by a talented cast. Really we don’t know anything about them other than that they need to survive. But they are played so well. Principally, Vincent Cassel is the authoritative commanding officer, Jessica Henwick is the nervous individual and really the heart of the flick, and T.J. Miller (before I think he was cancelled) is the comic relief. Stewart is the Ellen Ripley clone. John Gallagher Jr. is the station’s everyman.
The sets here are really there. They really flooded practical sets for production. The hallways feel lived on, like the drilling station has been there for twenty years. The suits are actual suits constructed by veteran effects artists. They shoot in CGI because it is the best thing to do for all of the goings on underwater. I cannot give enough praise for the approach of the film from a production standpoint.
Everything said, I felt nothing for these characters, however. Any emotion I gave to the portrayed individuals, it was either because of the actors portraying them, or of the fashion in which they met their doom.
Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts compose the musical score for Underwater, adding to the tension.
Heated Blogs and Reviews 