“The Shallows 2016”: A Beautiful Survival Thriller That Sinks in Its Closing Act…and in the long run dishonors Jaws moderately than honoring it…
The movie started as in all probability probably the greatest movies since Jaws 1975, and ended parodying the 1975 thriller – can anybody step as much as the plate submit 2025 and create one thing that may actually rival Jaws in 1975?
In actual fact, in 2025, one other Shallows is on the best way! For an Asian viewers.
From IMDB: The story of an individual who loves excessive sports activities. When she got here to the seashore alone to surf, she was attacked by a sudden large shark. The remake of the American film “The Shallows” [2016].
When The Shallows hit cinemas in 2016, there was actual pleasure amongst shark movie followers. Right here, lastly, was a modern, fashionable survival thriller that promised one thing extra grounded — a return to type, even. It wasn’t attempting to out-Jaws Spielberg, nor did it lean into the ridiculous extra of a Sharknado or Deep Blue Sea. As a substitute, it positioned one lady — Nancy, performed with grit by Blake Full of life — in a dangerous, remoted situation that felt private, uncooked, and terrifyingly believable.
With all of the shark movies which have come earlier than it, The Shallows was anticipated to kick all of them out of the park…Sadly, it missed within the ultimate third…
The run to the tip was plausibly wise, till…
For the primary three-quarters of its runtime, The Shallows, written by Anthony Jaswinski, and directed by Jaume Collet Serra is a tense, visually beautiful instance of what trendy shark cinema could be. It’s primarily a one-woman present — half grief journey, half survival puzzle — and it really works as a result of it retains issues easy.
The menace is rapid and fixed: Nancy is wounded, stranded on a rock, and an important white shark is within the neighborhood. The situation is breathtaking, the cinematography immersive, and Full of life’s efficiency is each emotionally and bodily dedicated. In these early scenes, the shark isn’t only a predator — it’s a metaphor. For grief, for helplessness, for the unpredictable cruelty of nature.
Even the music is John Williamsque…
After which… effectively, then the ultimate act occurs.
In Jaws, the ultimate scene with Chief Brody leaning on the pillar of the boat to take a shot on the shark is pure intense drama. There was a rawness with these scenes that felt actual.
Span one other 40 odd years and The Shallows tries to do the identical, however doesn’t fairly seize the depth – on the finish, anyway…
As if afraid that emotional pressure wasn’t sufficient to fulfill a contemporary viewers, The Shallows swerves arduous into comedian guide absurdity. What was as soon as a finely-balanced survival story turns into a parody of cartoonic proportions. Nancy all of the sudden morphs from weak medical pupil to full-blown motion hero. She electrocutes the shark. There’s fireplace underwater. She impales it with metallic particles in a sequence that wouldn’t really feel misplaced in a Quick & Livid spin-off. The shark — beforehand a terrifying, reasonable pressure — turns into a near-mythical sea monster with a vendetta and a style for overly dramatic deaths.
It’s not simply excessive — it’s borderline parody. You anticipate the shark sooner or later to provide a growl in typical villain fashion.
This jarring tonal shift robs The Shallows of its psychological energy. The vulnerability that made Nancy relatable is traded in for invincibility.
Its credibility is gone in a single fell swoop as a result of it looks like they had been attempting to compete with the ending of Jaws.
What may’ve been a intelligent, restrained finale — say, an underrated escape that emphasised outsmarting nature moderately than blowing it up — is changed with a climax straight out of a online game. It’s as if the screenwriter ran out of concepts, or extra doubtless, felt pressured to ship a “blockbuster second like Jaws.” However in doing so, the movie undercuts its earlier restraint and inadvertently pokes enjoyable on the reminiscence of Jaws — not with reverence, however with a smirk.
“Smile you son of a bitch”…Chief Brody’s one liner earlier than he shoots and demolishes the shark is among the greatest key moments in cinema, that may actually be arduous to beat relating to shark motion pictures. The Shallows tried. And failed.
So Jaws will at all times have the final chortle…
The place Jaws succeeded by suggesting the monster and grounding its horror in character-driven realism, The Shallows closes with a sequence that looks like Jaws: The Revenge had a fling with Sharknado. It’s virtually as if it’s parodying the very legacy it desires to honor.
A disgrace — as a result of The Shallows had the makings of a contemporary traditional. It knew the best way to construct pressure. It knew the best way to isolate its protagonist with out ever making the movie really feel empty. And it dared to take its time — till it didn’t. It’s virtually as if the author had different issues they wanted to do and needed to get out early…
Ultimately, The Shallows is a movie that swims confidently in deep water — solely to thrash itself foolish within the shallows.
Unusually sufficient, the movie did moderately effectively on the Field Workplace – it grossed $119 million {dollars}. Not unhealthy, however it did have a a lot larger funds of as much as $25 million {dollars} to make.
Open Water in 2003 – had a comparatively modest $2 million {dollars} and grossed worldwide $55 million.
While The Shallows is pure fiction – Open Water is no less than considerably extra plausible in its story and, as stated already, however for the parody ending of The Shallows, the movie might effectively have had a shot at being on a par with Jaws in 1975. Sadly, it misplaced its footing, and sunk…
However the place some motion pictures fail, others may effectively succeed. Open Water I’d say is among the greatest trendy shark movies – however…
Jaws will at all times have the final chortle…
Verdict:
A robust begin, a trendy center, and an ending that jumps the shark — actually.
DID YOU KNOW?…
Blake Full of life solely had a stunt double for the browsing scenes as she couldn’t surf correctly, “All I did was paddle” she recalled, her browsing stunt double was skilled Australian Surfer 19 12 months previous Isabella Nichols, she taught Blake the best way to paddle accurately, the best way to wax a board and put a leg rope on and fins in to make it look genuine. From IMDB…
Jaws the fiftieth anniversary viewings might be UK large from August…
