Man vs. nature is the kind of struggle that’s been going on for millions of years. In terms of cinematic history, man vs. nature films have brought tension and horror to the silver screen plenty of times, most famously with Spielberg’s Jaws. Jaume Collet-Serra brings us the next iteration of man vs. nature films with The Shallows. As far as shark attack films go, The Shallows is the best shark attack film since Jaws. Yet, it’s not as great as Jaws and it’s not without its faults.
The CGI for the film isn’t just bad, it’s Peter Jackson King Kong bad. Don’t get me wrong, the CG model of the shark is fantastic but there are several scenes where shoddy CGI and the blue screen compositing take away from the experience. The editing of the film is also uneven as the pacing is similar to a roller coaster. It’s speedy, it’s slow, and then it’s speedy again. Screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski lazily ups the tension through an unfolding of convenient events, and there will times where the film will elicit an eye-roll during these predictable scenes.
For its faults, though, The Shallows is how an escapist summer film should be. It’s incredibly cheesy and is a bit self-aware of its own cheesiness. In addition, director Jaume Collet-Serra knows how to visually build layers of dread set to the beautiful backdrop of Lord Howe Island.
Blake Lively shows that she can hold audience’s attention for the majority of the film. After all, she is the only person on screen acting for a majority of the film. Although Lively is dull for the first part of the film, once blood hits the water then Lively begins to carry the film. Her confidence and physicality are palpable and commendable. This is probably her best film since The Town.
Overall, The Shallows is a serviceable shark attack thriller with an exemplary performance by Blake Lively. Even though comparisons to Jaws and 127 Hours will be made, The Shallows is neither of those films. The Shallows is more comparable to Speed and Lively is Keanu. One thing’s for sure, you still wouldn’t want to get in the ocean any time soon.
Movie Rating: 3/5 atoms
Video
The Shallows is presented in a 1080P MPEG-4 AVC encoded video with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Jaume Collet-Serra and his cinematographer, Flavio Martínez Labiano, shot a beautiful film and this transfer is able to showcase it. The contrast is a bit flat due to the nature of digital cameras, and the black levels are perfect without any crushed blacks to be found. The noise is practically non-existent. The details are very strong, particularly in the sandy beaches and rocky formations. The colors are the real stars of this transfer, though. The saturation is absolutely vibrant with the lush greens, aquatic blues, and crimson blood popping on the screen. Everything looks spectacular in this video transfer.
Video Rating: 5/5 atoms
Audio
The Shallows is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround audio track. The film has quite a few quiet and frantic moments, and the audio presentation does a fine job of balancing the chaos and tranquility. The dialogue in the film is crystal clear in the center speaker, and the subwoofer’s booming bass enhances to the film’s tension. Unfortunately, there is little playfulness in the action scenes. The shark effects that envelope the sound stage truly gives you a sense of the shark’s weight and aggression during attacks. Like the waves of the ocean, the speakers directionally pans from one speaker to another seamlessly as the waves crash. However, it doesn’t make you feel like you’re within the film. Everything just feels run-of-the-mill. Despite a lack of imagination in the atmospheric effects, the audio presentation is still great.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Special Features
The Shallows‘s Blu-ray contains the following special features:
- Deleted Scenes
- Shooting In The Shallows
- When Sharks Attack
- How To Build A Shark
- Finding The Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island
The Shallows has quite a bit of interesting and useful featurettes within this Blu-ray release. “When Sharks Attack” gives you useful information from a shark expert about what to do when you encounter a shark in the ocean. The featurette also has a shark attack survivor’s story that also contains gory photos to go along with it. “Shooting In The Shallows” and “Finding The Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island” contain interesting insights into the making of the film. The troubles of filming on water, on the beach, and in a water tank are all documented here. “How To Build A Shark” offers a nice look into the making of the shark, but it’s a little disappointing to see that the shark is mostly CGI. The deleted scenes are standard and don’t add anything to the theatrical cut.
Special Features Rating: 3/5 atoms
Overall, The Shallows is an effective summer escapist film that shows audience’s what Blake Lively can do if given the right material. The video presentation is fantastic. The audio presentation is also wonderful, despite a lack of imagination in the effects. There are quite a bit of useful and insightful featurettes included, but nothing too significant.
Overall Rating: 4/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
from Nerd Reactor
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