Underwater
It's that time of year again. January is the month I generally refer to as a Cinematic Black Hole; the time of year where films go to die and be forgotten. New releases are always slim pickings in the early parts of the year (though this has improved in recent years), and they are mostly films that have been moved off the schedule and onto this month simply because either A) the studio has no expectations for them or B) they are terrible pieces of trash or C) both of the above. So it was with some trepidation that I approached Underwater, an aptly titled survival horror film that I had low expectations for. As it turns out, I was only partially right in my concerns.
A group of engineers and scientists (including <PERSON>, played by <PERSON>) have been hired by Tian Industries to man an underwater drilling station at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. When an earthquake cripples the station, they must walk a mile across the deepest part of the ocean to another station and safety, all while dodging previously unknown deep sea creatures in the process. What this film has going for it more than anything is its condensed running time, so that the film never feels like its being stretched out to pad its runtime. Almost from the very start the film dives headlong into the situational danger and never really gets a respite, filling its 95 minute run time with equal parts horror and action. 829
It's actually a very refreshing mix, even if that breakneck pace comes at the expense of any kind of character development.
The actors are good with what they have to work with. Underwater is a very plot driven film, in that actions happen one right after the other without any real downtime in between. Even slowing down for a short respite, say 20 minutes scattered throughout the film, would have given the film a bit more meat on the bone as it were. It's a shame because I can see the barebones of a more complex story buried deep within the subtext of the script here (most notably about corporate greed and damaging the environment.) Alas, the most we get is a brief coda at the end that only hints at what might have been.
It is easy to see the inspiration for this film in movies past. The premise itself is a fairly basic one, and Underwater in particular draws inspiration both from <PERSON> Alien (in terms of its claustrophobic atmosphere) as well as from <PERSON> The Abyss (with its underwater setting). While the stylistic direction by <PERSON> and an above average cast keep this film from being the total wash out that I expected for an early year horror film (particularly one that sat on the shelf for almost three years awaiting release), its lack of ambition keeps it from being anything more than a mildly entertaining diversion and a cheap copy of much better films from before. I wouldn't recommend seeing it in theaters, but it is would be worth a rental in the future. You could certainly do worse than this. 796