When sharks are the second biggest threat
Release Date: June 16, 2017
Director: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Claire Holt, Mandy Moore, Chris J. Johnson, Yani Gellman, Santiago A. Segura and Matthew Modine
Favorite Quote: “Trust me, once you go down there you wouldn’t wanna come back up again.” – Captain Taylor
47 Meters Down – or In the Deep, as it was originally called – is a survival thriller movie. To my surprise, it’s not a shark movie as it was portrayed on the first trailer I saw. Originally, the movie was supposed to be a direct-to-DVD movie but was given a theatrical release. Was that a smart choice? Yes and no. I will explain.
The plot follows two sisters, played by Mandy Moore and Claire Holt, who go on holiday in Mexico. While there, they are invited to cage dive and see sharks up close. But the cable holding the cage they’re in breaks and they plummet to the ocean floor 47 meters down, as the title of the movie states. In the trailer, their focus is mostly on the sharks and how the sisters are going to survive. But again, this isn’t a shark movie. The sharks actually have very little to do with the movie. Don’t get me wrong, they are there to provide some jump scares and raise the suspense as it is a dark movie. The majority of the shots are in darkness, and I did enjoy that. The fear of not knowing where the shark was at made it feel more real.
What I felt was the downfall of this movie was that I didn’t care that much about any of the characters. If you want me to feel something for the characters, please make them interesting. A good script with bad dialog or a good concept with crappy dialog can hurt the film. Also, the CGI sharks were not that bad, but at some point, they do become laughable. There are moments that I did go, “oh shit” because the use of the dark surrounding and the sharks gave it perfect tension. But the marketing was set for a shark movie, not a survival movie
The biggest threat for the sisters is not the sharks but the amount of oxygen left in their tank. Finding a way to survive suffocating 47 meters down on the ocean floor and having 3 great white sharks between you and the boat does make it hard for anyone in that situation.
And really, the sisters are pretty stupid. How is it a good idea to put yourself in a cage underwater where you are at the bottom of the food chain? And how is it a good idea to go on a boat with people you just met the night before, in a place where you don’t speak the damn language? I get it, in a horror/thriller survival movie, the main characters are supposed to be gullible, thinking that everything will be ok and then it doesn’t. But damn these characters are pretty dumb.
The movie does feel like it was meant to come out straight to DVD. It’s good because it allowed more people to see this movie. I won’t spoil the ending but it will be an either you like it or hate it ending, but that really depends on the viewer.
As I said it to my fellow Digital Crack members, Punisher305 and Uncle Willy, the movie is not bad but it isn’t that great either. 47 Meters Down is a decent movie but it’s either you like it or you hate it. So watch this movie and let us know what you think of it, I enjoyed it and hope you would, too.
