Like some of the most famous damsel-lost-in-middle-of-nowhere-and-is-now-in-distress (Blair Witch Project, Open Water), The Shallows presents us with a young woman who happens to be at odds with nature in an element not entirely her own. Blake Lively looks great, especially in her bikini-slash-surfer outfit, but her acting skills are far too limited to justify her having so much responsibility, as (pretty much) the only actor in the movie. The set-up, where she becomes a target of a large shark in the shallow waters of surfer's paradise beach in Mexico, is exciting; however, the implausibility that follows is questionable, depending on one's level of gullibility. Is it really possible to swim (underwater, all the while holding one's breath for an infinitely long time) through a mine-field of jelly fish, and only suffer one measly sting? Or how about a cartoonish sequence near the end, where Lively's character lures her predatory slayer into a twisted knot of sharp metallic prongs, reminiscent of Saturday morning children's animation scenarios? By the time the closing credits arrive, I couldn't help but wonder if, with a better script and a stronger female lead (Brie Larson, anyone?), this could've been an all time-water-as-terror-thriller-classic, destined to keep more people out of the ocean than Jaws. I guess we'll never know.
C
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