Capsule Film Review: The Shallows (2016)

It is easy to imagine that 2016 horror thriller The Shallows had its origin in the idea of a film about a feature film about attractive woman who has to spend all time in bathing suit. The protagonist, played by Blake Lively, is an American surfer who wants to spend some good time on her favourite Mexican beach, unaware that the beach is a hunting ground for huge shark. She gets attacked, wounded and forced to find shelter on isolated rock while the monster patiently awaits her attempt to reach land which is so close and so far away. Scriptwriter Alexander Jaswinski must be commended for the simplicity of the story, while director Jaume Collet-Serra also keeps the film short, simple but very effective, allowing the events to be seen almost exclusively from the protagonist’s point of view. Second part of the film, which features few Mexican characters who serve as cannon fodder and unnecessary use of CGI complicates matters, but not enough to make The Shallows unwatchable.

RATING: 6/10