183 metry strachu

The Shallows is not a serious horror movie or thriller that would stay with you. It’s formally spectacular entertainment for a popcorn audience with some exciting moments, and it is full of crap, especially in the climax. It is kept above average only by the charm and acting skills of Blake Lively. In these waters, I prefer more minimalist and believable nerve-racking movies like The Reef. (16.08.2016)

Blake is kissable and the seagull is straight-up Oscar-worthy, but the whole story, despite its sympathetic length, is kind of dull and features no real surprises. A couple of times I admiringly pondered the production background, where the camera games probably end and the casual special effects begin, but Serra accepts only very sloppy screenwriting assignments into his crafted workshop. [Finale = humorous self-parodic failure. I was quite sad about all the previous efforts.] (09.06.2017)

That CGI shark was really awesome. Basically, this takes the premise of the D-grade Mega Shark or the E-grade Sharknado, but it’s shot by a talented director and so it doesn’t even feel as stupid or boring. (08.09.2017)

Water Gravity light. A B-movie that I enjoyed and which enjoyed me. They don’t have to look into my head and pull phobias out of there. But the jellyfish scene will haunt me until just before I die. Thanks to Blake Lively, a sweet combination of an erection and a contracted ass. Jaume could have done without a couple of the over the top of the top scenes, but otherwise it’s the ultimate summer eye candy. Everything one needs from crisp exploitation. (04.08.2016)

An impactful, audiovisual thriller work that is nearly perfectly crafted in terms of the gradation of all key moments. Blake Lively effortlessly navigates through all positions, and when she emerges onto the board/whale/rock just a few centimeters away from the jaws of a shark, I thought I'd be left with the cinema armrests in my hands. Therefore, it is a pity that in the end, it doesn't deviate from going predictably over the top and you have to say goodbye to a great show as it instead turns laughable. Those genre boundaries that Jaume Collet-Serra skillfully tried to sweep away for a while are needlessly beaten up by the shallows at the very end. (11.08.2016)

The Hungry vs. Food series has another film with a dismal and unrealistic ending (that spoils the atmosphere for effect alone), but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work as a whole. Also the whale was a good idea. The tastefully tanned Blake Lively was the main asset of The Shallows from the start and in this respect the heroine doesn’t disappoint. In terms of story, it’s a variation on Gravity and the inner dramas pointlessly protract the plot. Seagull is probably the only really nice character in the movie. The horror nuances are masterly, including the shocks. Collet-Serra knows how to make an eye-catching movie, but I prefer those with an R-rating and with Neeson in the role of daddy. (16.08.2016)

Blake Lively, one shark and 87 minutes of pure survival adventure, as far as the genre goes, fulfilled to perfection. It's a weekend one-off that doesn't offer much, but it solidly meets expectations. Jaume Collet-Serra created a shark that is more like the one from Jaws – the kind that scares you – thank God he has freed himself from the kind of digital exercises favoured by the current trends. It's gripping and there's no bullshit. There is, of course, a digression on family values in that classic American way, but that's a given in Hollywood, even if it is directed by a Spaniard. (14.08.2016)

It lacks the "something extra" I found in the recent The Grey, and the last five minutes are downright annoying, but otherwise The Shallows is more than a good - above all - spectacle. Blake Lively, colored by nature like in a travel agency catalogue, and the great shark (not shown much, not because it was difficult to make it, but because of the tension, which is good) were a joy to watch. The film goes by quickly, it's fast-paced and entertaining, the direction knows what to do to make sure there is not too much of anything (I liked one off-screen feast a lot) and the soundtrack by Marco Beltrami is definitely one of the best things to come out of film music this year. Pure four stars. (12.08.2016)

When an ordinary mortal encounters a clearly pissed off and big white shark with a full set of teeth while surfing, they are instantly done for. But when such a shark encounters Blake Lively, an American who can expertly sew up a laceration with her own bracelet and is a warrior for her late mother, we suddenly have a wide-open and quite dynamic battle for survival. But as much as I initially enjoyed the rather cinematic story, and as much as Serra repeatedly satisfied me with quick but clear editing, solid pacing, and a lot of iconic shots of the beautiful Blake's semi-naked body, the depleted thematic well gradually began to show its negative effects, leading to a riveting but heavily exaggerated finale that doesn't even reach the tip of the back fin of Jaws. At home, thanks to Beltrami's unobtrusive (and wonderfully escalated) soundtrack it was alright, but I wouldn't go to the cinema to see something so blatantly digital. (29.07.2016)

The Shallows is qualitatively comparable to Deep Blue Sea and The Reef, although each film is a little different, but they all have one thing in common, a fight to the death against a bloodthirsty shark. While both of the aforementioned are about a bunch of multiple people, The Shallows is essentially a one-woman-show (+ one loyal seagull), so we only have time to focus on Blake Lively, whom I find exceedingly likeable, and I was really rooting for her. The film definitely benefits from a shorter running time, and since the tension is spread out just right, it doesn't have a chance to get boring. The shark was quite well done, as was the dead whale, whose incorporation into the plot was imaginative. All in all, a decent survival drama that gets a bit more wild towards the end in terms of plot progression, but what the hell, it is a pleasantly suspenseful eighty minutes. (10.09.2016)

This film was undoubtedly an interesting one and offered a little bit of everything. Breathtaking scenery alternated with shots of Blake Lively's curves, followed by a surfing show. An element of tension was added by a digital shark whom I would instantly nominate for Best Supporting Actor. It did unprecedented things: chewed alcoholics in half, spat up surfboards incredibly high, broke chains, chewed iron structures, and, as the highlight of the show, juggled a dead cetacean. Only its diving skills left a little to be desired, but it made me remember another animated character I have always liked: Willie E. Coyote. To sum it up, it was more than obvious how it was going to end, which took away the suspense for me, but I did have a good laugh. Shame about the needlessly stretched-out ending. (19.02.2017)

At the beginning, everything feels right and great camerawork conveys a relaxed atmosphere. It all turns into a real survival story when a cute surfer, who needs to cast off all her worries on the shore and clear her head by surfing, encounters a shark. No matter how banal the plot sounds and how you prepare for all the clichés associated with this theme, it’s really great to watch (Blake Lively in particular), there's no arguing with that. However, at least the way I see it, all this is spoiled by the ending which seems unintentionally hilarious in the context of the rest of the movie, unfortunately ruining the overall impression. But if you are looking for a short movie in a nice setting with a gorgeous lead actress, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Shallows. (20.09.2016)