If you want a popcorn sci-fi film that might make you jump, has easy to watch performances and cements Kristen Stewart as an action star in the making, you could do worse than checking out this flawed but fun film.
William Eubank’s subaquatic chiller Underwater sinks a well-worn horror trope into a new location (no prizes for guessing where). The film follows the crew of a subterranean laboratory located ‘Seven miles under the sea, the crew of a laboratory fight for survival against a terrifying threat.‘ Underwater is at its best when it’s wearing its influences on its sleeve, but a lack of convictions — and belief in the audience — often make the film feel weaker than the excellent and ambitious sci-fi films that have come before it. For example, Underwater tries to fit too many creatures onto the screen at one time rather than focusing on one or two that are hunting the crew.
Underwater begins with a montage of news articles and headlines, all addressing the drilling occurring at the bottom of the ocean. At 90 minutes long, Underwater is heavy on action and plot twists but light on character development. This made viewers unable to make meaningful connections with the characters so it’s hard to feel any emotional resonance with characters are killed off (and many of them are). The context was revealed primarily through conversations, inviting audiences to know vague backgrounds to the characters in the laziest way possible.
Some of the underwater scenes were hard to watch due to the shaky camera movements, the dark ocean or flashing lights, and the movement of characters. Although these were added to create the frantic situations that the characters were placed in, it makes it hard for audiences to follow what is happening in the moment, meaning that the importance of a few scenes were lost. Eubank creates drama and terror with jump scares, shaky camera shots and fast movements, but these also make the narrative difficult to follow, leaving viewers bewildered (and those with motion sickness nauseated).
Audiences may come out of the film feeling frustrated due to the wasted potential for a good production, although the captivating performances, especially from Kristen Stewart (Norah Price), and the fantastic score redeem the film in some points. The film tries so hard to differentiate itself from films with the same focus that it seems to play heavily into those same ideas it tries to avoid. Although Underwater is able to create a suspenseful atmosphere for audiences to enjoy, it constantly produces predictable jump scares that may not impress fans of the thriller genre.
Underwater is sadly less than the sum of its rather exciting parts. The excellent acting by the cast is sadly overshadowed by the overused plot and its ability to overlook any chance for character development.
Review by Callum Elliss and Jennifer Klepczarek mentored by Nick Jarvis