The Shallows: ?????
MORE than 40 years since the original and best shark attack movie, Jaws, put a whole generation off going into the water, we have an effective new human vs shark horror-thriller that carves out a compelling place of its own way.
The plot centres on a young woman named Nancy (Blake Lively) who travels to a secluded beach in Mexico to catch some big waves and to pay tribute to her late mother, who had also surfed there.
After she tempts fate by going back into the water even when the only two other surfers there have left for the day, Nancy finds herself under attack by a ferocious shark who ceaselessly circles her as she tries her best to survive on a rock 200 yards from the shore.
Carrying what is largely a one-woman show with an impressive central performance, Lively conveys the simultaneous vulnerability, strength and impressive resourcefulness of a young woman at the mercy of brutal nature personified.
She’s certainly not just clichéd shark fodder, as is so often the case with this sort of thing.
Director Jaume-Collet Serra (Orphan, Non-Stop) does a great job of making you feel part of these increasingly dire and wince-inducing brutal situations, often making you question: what would I do in this scenario?
The brutality is unnervingly offset by the picturesque landscape.
It isn’t reinventing the shark attack cinematic concept but is a confident example of how it should be done.
With a handle on B-movie thrills – especially in its gloriously over-the-top finale – and a relentless, one-upmanship momentum that makes sure the relatively basic plot doesn’t drag the movie under, this is a slick, well-made exercise in edge-of-your-seat escapism.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here