By Ian Bonham

The Shallows (15)

Starring: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers: Anthony Jaswinski

Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Opening at Kings Bastion Leisure Cinemas on Friday 12^th August

After watching “The Shallows” I feel like I’ve been for a refreshing dip in the pool, and the pool’s all I’m going near after that, the beach is right off the cards. In a summer of MAHOOSIVE blockbuster epics that have running times longer than my leg, “The Shallows” is a really lovely change. Unfortunately the minute I mention the Shark most people will think of Jaws, but that’s doing a disservice to this movie. This is a very different tale, told in a way we don’t get to see very often. The closest you could compare this to is the remarkable film “Gravity”.

Nancy (Blake Lively) is mourning the loss of her Mother, so she is visiting a beach her Mother told her about to try the surf. An afternoon of fun soon turns to an evening of horror. We get there pretty quick too, considering the 80 minute run time, there’s no dawdling or pointless dialogue here. Nancy ends up trapped on a tiny rock outcrop 200 yards from shore, being circled by a rather determined Great White Shark.

At this point, I should warn you that if you are at all squeamish, be ready to hide behind your hands as Nancy has to perform some emergency surgery on her leg. For pretty much the rest of the movie we are alone with Blake Lively as she nails a stunning solo performance. Like the aforementioned “Gravity” with Sandra Bullock, Lively here commands the screen. You’re on the edge of your seat in excitement (and some minor terror), and you feel every crushing set back.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra squeezes this movie right down to an unusual running time leaving you hardly a second to catch your breath, which is exactly what you can’t do underwater. The panic of drowning is absolutely palpable. The little exposition we get is delivered by surfers’ Go Pro cameras, or Apple Facetime conversations. Dive timers also pop up on screen now and again when Nancy is in a time critical situation, to add to the tension (an old ruse now, but I still like it). Stunningly gorgeous overhead and underwater photography is also a real treat; no CGI spaceships here. Some might question a couple of the shots of Blake Lively in her bikini, but hey, she’s on a beach.

You may remember how unconvincing the shark in the “Jaws” series looked at times, but of course technology has moved on. This is where the CGI comes in to play, and the shark is utterly terrifying. Joining in the action often after a slow build of tension, he does elicit the odd ‘Eek’ at times. This is defiantly NOT “Sharknado” either.

I was also impressed with the timing of this movie in the studio release schedules. Just as we get a Hammer Head spotted, hey presto, shark movie! I’m wondering if the cinema actually faked the Hammer Head report as part of a clever marketing campaign...?

Blake Lively is probably best known for the TV series “Gossip Girl”. Well, her star is rising as this is certainly a whole different kettle of fish… 

Sorry, I’ll get my coat...

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