47 Meters Down

Starring: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Chris Johnson, Yani Gellman, Santiago Segura, Matthew Modine
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Horror
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two divers (Mandy Moore, Claire Holt) are stranded 47 meters below the surface of the ocean as a shark circles them.

Review:

Tim: 47 Meters Down might be a bit of a farfetched movie, but I had fun watching it. We don't get enough shark attack movies, and this was a fun one- rather than having our potential victims above water, they're buried deep beneath it. That little twist was a fun one and it made this film feel somewhat differentiated. This isn't a perfect movie, but it did just enough right for me to consider it a good movie.

I actually enjoyed the cast. I was pretty surprised when I heard Mandy Moore was making a shark movie. She's not who I would expect to take a lead role in a film like this. She's fine in the lead role. I didn't quite believe her performance and there's far too many moments where her acting felt forced, but it was a nice departure from her typical fare. Her performance was decent (the movie would obviously have been better with a stronger effort from her) even though it wasn't consistently good. I really like Claire Holt from the television series "Aquarius", so I was excited to see her here. Like Moore, I wouldn't say Holt gave a particularly strong performance, but it was serviceable. I liked Moore and Holt together, even if I never believed for a second that they were sisters. It was still fun seeing them together. It was also nice seeing Matthew Modine, albeit in a pretty small role. While no one in the cast was giving top notch performances, they're all likable enough for us to care about them.

The film might not be the most thrilling from start to finish, but it does enough to hold your interest. I legitimately wanted both sisters to live. That's not always the case in movies like this. That vested interest in their characters certainly created some tense situations as we watch them fight for their lives. I liked the look of the film- the visual effects were pretty obvious, but they never really detracted from the film. It was fun to watch a movie where the bulk of the action takes place underwater. Those scenes couldn't have been the easiest to film, so it was fun to see that on screen. The story throws enough challenges at our protagonists and a few unexpected moments that we're never bored.

I will have to say that the film tries a nice twist at the end, but it unfortunately telegraphs that ending far in advance. Anyone paying attention will immediately know what the payoff will be. That was a bummer, because it would have been a cool twist, but the movie doesn't stick the landing. Even knowing exactly what was going to happen, I admit there were a few moments where I wondered if I had gotten it wrong (I didn't). Still, those suspenseful moments were enjoyable.

I fully admit 47 Meters Down is a flawed film. But, I thought it held up better than a film like The Shallows, which started off stronger than this one, but kind of falls apart in the end. Any viewer who can't overlook this film's flaws, I certainly wouldn't blame them. Luckily, I was able to still have a fun time watching this movie. I'd consider this a solid, if unremarkable effort.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Shallows, Jaws, Deep Blue Sea