Read Mixed User Reviews for The Shallows

6

JyroJyroSep 7, 2017

The Shallows is a tense & energetic B-movie throwback to shark hysteria, in which Blake Lively surprises us all through her decent performance as a semi-naked sea prisoner. It's a very simple plot though, and one that has been done a thousandThe Shallows is a tense & energetic B-movie throwback to shark hysteria, in which Blake Lively surprises us all through her decent performance as a semi-naked sea prisoner. It's a very simple plot though, and one that has been done a thousand times before.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

TVJerryJul 1, 2016

Blake Lively goes surfing on a secluded Mexican beach, where she's terrorized by a great white shark. She gets stranded on a rock, but that's only one of the deluge of obstacles in her movie-length ordeal. If you're willing to tossBlake Lively goes surfing on a secluded Mexican beach, where she's terrorized by a great white shark. She gets stranded on a rock, but that's only one of the deluge of obstacles in her movie-length ordeal. If you're willing to toss credibility overboard, you can relax and enjoy some mildly suspenseful moments. The dramatic cinematography and visual treatment add an extra element of beauty to this already lovely location. Lively manages with lots of grimacing and grit, but the tension never gets too deep and the ending pushes plausibility.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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6

Rebecca31Aug 14, 2016

Meet Blake Lively, her surf board and the star of the movie, the shark in all its CGI glory. It's tense, cringy, jumpy and entertaining. Let me put it this way, if you don't count Jaws it's a really great shark movie but in a world where JawsMeet Blake Lively, her surf board and the star of the movie, the shark in all its CGI glory. It's tense, cringy, jumpy and entertaining. Let me put it this way, if you don't count Jaws it's a really great shark movie but in a world where Jaws is the standard then this is lacking something. Good not great, recommended and unless you want spoilers do not watch the trailers.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

LamontRaymondJun 28, 2016

It's a decent movie that is largely ruined by one simple piece of tech in the first 10 minutes. Lively is obviously not a surfer, so they - in a very ham-fisted way - attempted to graft her face onto another surfer's body, and it looksIt's a decent movie that is largely ruined by one simple piece of tech in the first 10 minutes. Lively is obviously not a surfer, so they - in a very ham-fisted way - attempted to graft her face onto another surfer's body, and it looks TERRIBLE. They should have simply showed the back of her head. In fact, the false face looks so bizarre, it makes you cringe for her and the filmmakers. Otherwise, it's the typical "stranded" disaster flick. For a better one, try Open Water.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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6

Compi24Jul 3, 2016

As far as being a proper one-man/one-woman-show-film goes, "The Shallows" fits into the subgenre like a glove. The premise got me to the theater and the actual film follows the expected beats and subgenre conventions in a timely and tightAs far as being a proper one-man/one-woman-show-film goes, "The Shallows" fits into the subgenre like a glove. The premise got me to the theater and the actual film follows the expected beats and subgenre conventions in a timely and tight manner. However, "The Shallows" simply fails to possess the spirit and soul that the other, more successful one-man/one-woman-show-films ("127 Hours," "Gravity," "The Martian," etc.) soared with. If only the film's first and second acts contained as many thrills and as much awe as its rousing conclusion. What you're ultimately left with is a moderately enjoyable film with a believable lead performance and some well-executed visual effects. It's a perfectly inoffensive film that unfortunately plays it a little too close to the vest in terms of having a distinct personality.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

SunykameyJul 29, 2016

First be warned this is - for me personally - one of the worst CGI based shark in recent time. The aggressive nature of the "animal" has to be on par with the likes of Deep Blue Sea, you know genetically enhanced killer-sharks. The action isFirst be warned this is - for me personally - one of the worst CGI based shark in recent time. The aggressive nature of the "animal" has to be on par with the likes of Deep Blue Sea, you know genetically enhanced killer-sharks. The action is so over the top it's like looking at a showdown between a strong predator and the poor but witty human and the encounter ends in such a cringeworthy way I regretted sticking till the end. If you're willing to toss aside all that you know about sharks or animal behavior and just want to have fun maybe this is a movie for you. For me personally this movie can't be recommended. It started in the usual Hollywood way (pretty girl, bad backstory/family-story, beautiful location) until everything goes wrong and it becomes a nightmare...perhaps it was a zombie-shark...hmmmm...… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

BlackFox81Jul 15, 2016

a big dead whale to eat or spend energy/time chasing after mexicans and one blonde babe with family issues to kill.... guess the shark was in the mood for mexican and side of blonde. besides that the movie reminded me of a similar movie THEa big dead whale to eat or spend energy/time chasing after mexicans and one blonde babe with family issues to kill.... guess the shark was in the mood for mexican and side of blonde. besides that the movie reminded me of a similar movie THE Reef which is basically the same story but instead of surfers and mexicans you have a boat and Australians.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

Meth-dudeJul 28, 2016

The acting wasn't all too good, most of the CGI effects were pretty ugly, the movie wasn't very realistic and the ending was atrocious, but the last 20 minutes were entertaining and the shark was well made most of the time.It's not one of theThe acting wasn't all too good, most of the CGI effects were pretty ugly, the movie wasn't very realistic and the ending was atrocious, but the last 20 minutes were entertaining and the shark was well made most of the time.It's not one of the best shark movies, but it's not one of the worst either.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

AxeTJul 5, 2016

The trailer for this lean minimalist thriller is perfect. Expertly crafted in two and a half minutes it's everything your imagination needs, while the actual feature at ninety minutes though well made overall is sufficiently enough to blowThe trailer for this lean minimalist thriller is perfect. Expertly crafted in two and a half minutes it's everything your imagination needs, while the actual feature at ninety minutes though well made overall is sufficiently enough to blow the spell the preview conjures so well. The fact this is a spare minimal thriller isn't the problem (generally they're the best kind). Nor are some of the character/plot machinations which are text book. No, the problem besides some clunky dialogue is the shark really has no personality. The shark for the amazing level of CGI verisimilitude that technology reaps these days, is still lifeless. You don't really buy it.
Take the one inevitably to be compared to, "Jaws", that shark we believe… still, wholeheartedly and without the benefit of today's incredible visual effects. That was a psychological thriller in addition to grand adventure. Granted "Jaws" was a much greater story on a far bigger canvas, but basically was man against nature.
This is of course is the same idea on a much smaller scale, however it's a highly predictable exercise in slick movie making scares without the psychological character depths that made "Jaws" a classic besides its state of the art cinematic thrills at the time. Take another very well made if albeit cheaply little shark thriller, "Open Water", from 2004. Not as slick or costly but it was smarter and much more realistic.

Yeah the hot girl for this one is great marketing and she's fine, but it barely sustains in the streamlined action. Actually they didn't make enough of it. The iconic poster alone for the seminal "Jaws" had far greater impact (sorry to keep mentioning that other shark thriller, but hey).
There is one plot line flaw in this which is unacceptable unless I missed something, but with so little to follow I doubt I did. In the end it turns over-the-top ridiculous and makes the venerable "Jaws" seem almost a documentary in comparison.

A note on the contemporary device of the protagonist giving journal entries on video:
It was done well and apparently true for "127 Hours", became almost annoying by "The Martian", and now with this it's clearly a gimmick to pad the running time when the story chiefly has only one character.
GoPro should sue Sony because their camera is portrayed as constantly glitching! Thought these action water cams now held up to anything?… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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4

TheKavehJJun 24, 2016

The problem with The Shallows is that it is really slow most of the time. The best part of the movie is the last twenty minutes, and the rest of the movie is just boring.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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5

donaldistJul 5, 2016

44/100, or C
The Shallows is a horror-survival film that will not commit to the most important elements of that type of movie, as follows:
1) Stick to Procedural Our protagonist (Blake Lively) has herself a cancer-mom backstory, of course44/100, or C
The Shallows is a horror-survival film that will not commit to the most important elements of that type of movie, as follows:
1) Stick to Procedural
Our protagonist (Blake Lively) has herself a cancer-mom backstory, of course (shades of Sandra Bullock's dead kid in Gravity), which has caused her to put on hold pursuing a medical degree. She also gets stuck on a rock with a hurt seagull, and they become besties. I don't care. The reason a survival thriller like All is Lost is successful is because it has a protagonist who has no backstory and doesn't speak, much less narrate every event of the movie.
2) Stick to the Nitty-Gritty
Our director for the film is Jaume Collet-Serra, who also worked on Liam Neeson thrillers Non-Stop and Run All Night. He is much better at Liam Neeson thrillers, where he has an excuse to do weird texting on the screen bubbles and to prettify everything. Here, he is out of his depth (yes, that is a pun!) when his prettified sea meets up with orca whale carcasses and gangrene. Even one of his most interesting choices, to stick to Lively's face as she watches the shark chew up a person, doesn't work because he didn't...
3) Cast a Capable Performer
Darn it, don't hire Blake Lively just for T&A shots for the trailer; if you have to have the T&A, there's a bunch of good-looking actresses who can act as well. Stick to comedy, Blake, you are somewhat charming when you're not battling sharks in this film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

JonZsuJun 25, 2016

This is not your Jaws, or 127 Hours, or Gravity, but it's trying to make you feel that it belongs to that category of survival films. The Shallows tried to copy some of the visual styles and directory techniques, which ends up with aThis is not your Jaws, or 127 Hours, or Gravity, but it's trying to make you feel that it belongs to that category of survival films. The Shallows tried to copy some of the visual styles and directory techniques, which ends up with a detectable hint of pretentiousness.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

JoeCoolMay 24, 2019

Tense and well played but somewhat disfigured by the totally impossible ending. Great performance by the lead actress. Great looking shark, somewhat too intelligent probably, but hey it's a movie.