47 METERS DOWN (2017)
I feel like this film has received a lot of unwarranted flack. I wasn't expecting a lot when I watched the film. I figured that it was going to be a B-movie trying to get some quick cash off of the backend of THE SHALLOWS' successful run (it was supposed to go direct-to-video a year prior as IN THE DEEP, after all). That said, I know that Mandy Moore is a capable actress and I've truly enjoyed Claire Holt on both
The Vampire Diaries and
The Originals, so I assumed that it wasn't going to be
that bad.
And it wasn't. In fact, it was actually really, really good.
The chemistry between both Moore and Holt is great and it was a pleasant surprise to see Matthew Modine as the captain who takes them out cage diving. The pacing of the film was pretty great and the runtime was spot-on. The sharks look
phenomenal! Truly, the visual effect masterminds behind this film deserve a round of applause because the Great Whites in 47 METERS DOWN are probably the best sharks I've ever seen on film.
For actual divers, I'm sure they'll despise this film as the science is probably way off. Even as a non-diver, I could tell that a little more research should've probably went into the film. There's a twist 3/4 through the film that may catch some people off guard, but I saw it coming (though that didn't really ruin the effect of it all for me).
47 METERS DOWN is more of a survival film with the occasional shark than a straight-up "the sharks are gonna getcha!" film. It's dark, lonely, empty... horrifying. Moore and Holt play the tension perfectly and in more occasions than once I felt like I was watching GRAVITY underwater.
I was originally going to give this film 3-1/2 Ninjas, but I decided to up it to 4 after I spent the majority of today still thinking about the film after watching it last night. If a film can linger in my mind like that, that's a very good thing. If you enjoy suspense/thrillers and/or shark films, ignore Rotten Tomatoes and make your own opinion by checking out this film. It's worth it alone for the stunning visual effects.
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@kaw @Flloydo I'm afraid of sharks, so I once thought that if I went cage diving, maybe I could overcome my fears. After this, it'll be a long time before I even go near a boat in the ocean again.
