The CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON was my first encounter with aquatic horror cinema and remains a favorite to this day. The same can be said for JAWS, a film which legitimized water horror films as potential box office juggernauts. Even with such classic horror films as these, the number of underwater horror films is relatively small, fewer still are the number of truly great underwater horror films. Needless to say, when I saw the trailer for UNDERWATER I was instantly sold and determined to see it in a movie theater.
On a personal note, I haven't been to a movie at the theaters since JOKER in October. It's about time I saw a new movie! I've always been interested and fearful of the ocean. The joy of swimming, an obsession with sharks, and an intrigue with prehistoric aquatic beasts and monsters, the ocean is such a rich environment for both mind and body. The prospect of a new underwater horror film that's potentially good was too juicy to resist.
I LOVED IT! I thought it was great! The couple seated beside me thought it was pure garbage. The one other movie goer I talked to while there thought as I did and enjoyed it. If that tells you anything this might be a polarizing experience.
THE PLOT
A massive underwater drilling facility in the Marianas Trench suddenly experiences power outages followed by total section shutdowns. The pressure of being so deep begins crushing each section as they lose power. The few workers able to get to the deep sea diving suits must cross the pitch black ocean floor to an as of yet still functioning underwater facility to reach functioning escape pods. But while crossing the open ocean depths the water churns around them. Something swimming in the black waters brushes against them. One by one something in the deep begins taking them.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
I had my first real opportunity to go to the theater the other day. My choices were Star Wars or Underwater. Star Wars would be there another week or more. I wasn't so sure about Underwater's longevity at the theater and my horror love won out... as it usually does.
Underwater reminded me specifically of two films, THE DESCENT and SUNSHINE, neither of which are aquatic horror. First off, the film is absolutely terrifying just with the idea of being so far down beneath the ocean. There's a great sense of claustrophobia and the environment around you being your enemy. Just like being in a tiny spaceship surrounded by the cold uninhabitable vacuum of space, being on the bottom of the ocean surrounded with nothing but murky pitch black water and such high pressure as to kill you instantly. The setting itself is wonderfully frightening without the benefit of scary creatures.
Then the introduction of the monster was like pure icing on the cake. I'm a huge sucker for monster movies and these monsters were scary and effective. And when these monsters get their big moment it is epic.
That aside, I enjoyed the acting and the characters. The way the film was shot kept the camera really close to the actors. As a result I felt the heightened tension and frenetic chaos of the situation. Their dire and hopeless situation felt palpable with the camera being so close to them. The tension created in this film is one of its strongest elements.
However, there is a distinct lack of wider shots showcasing the environment. That's not to say that there aren't wide shots, they're just fewer and far between. And then there's the high levels of darkness that make it difficult to see much in the film. I'm sure the darkness is representative of how dark that environment really is, but cinematically it made the visual experience rather limited. I would've like to have seen a few more clearer shots.
Even with the murky darkness I thought it added a frightening element to the film. That said, I enjoyed this film very much and would love to add it to the home video collection. First off though I need to track down the out of print blu ray for the 1989 underwater horror epic LEVIATHAN from Scream! Factory.
THE VERDICT
I loved Underwater. I thought it was put together well and provided a more novel film experience than what we're usually getting nowadays. It feels like a low budget high concept horror film from the 80's, assembled very well given the limited resources available. It's not like most spectacle films lately and that there may evoke polarizing reactions from viewers. Personally I'm growing a little tired of the trendy Hollywood films dominating theaters today. Underwater felt like a breath of fresh air as opposed to drowning in big budget spectacle.
Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
Go see it if you can because it looks like it won't be in theaters for long!
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