Porsche's Movie Reviews - The Shallows

So I went with the missus today to watch the suspenseful thriller "The Shallows", starring drop-dead gorgeous Blake Lively (Ryan Deadpool Reynolds is a very lucky man...just saying) and I must quickly add that I was not dissapointed. Having only heard about this flick a few days ago via my wife's Facebook friend, I hadn't really expected much, since I didn't know much about it. It features Blake as a med school dropout Nancy Adams, returning to a nostalgic beach that her mother visited many years ago while pregnant with her. It's about closure for Nancy, as we learn that her mom passed from cancer recently. Nancy is an avid surfer, but not a soCal surfer girl, and we learn that her Texas based father and sister are missing her dearly. The scenery is breathtaking, and the visuals and cinematography holds you captive. It's much like watching a beach bucket list slide show for 100 minutes.

After Nancy surfs and swims the waves, internally consoling her loss, she heads out at high tide for one last wave. As she's way out from the safety of shore, she sees a dead whale floating further out, and paddles out to get a closer look. As the waves tussle her about, she is surprised by a rather large nibble from a predatory swimming and feeding off that whale.

She loses her board and ends up sprinting to a nearby rock protruding from the water. Bleeding from a huge gnarly Bute in her leg, she resorts to the emergency medicine training she opted out of when her mom passed. Hundreds of yards from shore, and stranded and severely injured, she finds herself in a game against one of earth's most cunning and deadly predators - the great white shark.

Now, don't confuse yourself thinking this is some sort of Jaws ripoff. Blake Lively has a riveting performance, rich with all conundrums of emotion as she helplessly deals with the threat swimming closer and closer as she still bleeds into the water. The shark, interrupted by her as he fed, saw her as a next potential meal - this is a core fact regarding most shark attacks - don't disrupt it's meal. She had done so inadvertently, and the shark as predator wants nothing more than to finish his first nibble.

The struggle for survival continues on, and she does her best to stay awake, warm, and alive during the next 24 hours. There is a few other characters that are briefly intermixed with the plot, but I'll ignore them. The movie is about one woman's fight against the greatest predator man has known - her own personal demons. Then, a shark bites her.

I personally enjoy Blake Lively as an actress, and she did an outstanding job managing her emotions and range in this film. She runs the show 95% of the on screen time, and if she wasn't as good as an actress, then this movie would have fallen flat. Also, guys, she's in a bikini for most of the time too, so, there's that. Go for the eye candy, stay for the amazing single handed performance. The villainous shark although CGI is very well done, and adds the appropriate antagonistic vile Nancy needs to conquer her fearful past.

I doubt this one will win many awards, but it is a treat to behold. The breathtaking setting, the one woman show, and the despicable enemy makes for one hell of a simple, yet near perfect, story.

Have fun!

I was on the fence about this, but leaning more on going. I certainly felt that most of the movie was already shown in the previews, but your evaluation of this has definitely pushed me off the edge to wanting to see this.

I was on the fence about this, but leaning more on going. I certainly felt that most of the movie was already shown in the previews, but your evaluation of this has definitely pushed me off the edge to wanting to see this.

Originally Posted by B8TINGU

The previews don't do it justice. It barely shows what actually happens to her. She's brilliant.