One of the most difficult films to make is one about natural predators. There’s always this danger of the film having too much violence, or even too less of it. The premise is pretty restricted, so the script has to keep on moving from one high point to another. And then, there’s this thing about the need for the audience to connect to the characters so that they remain invested in them and interested in their survival.
Taking these things into consideration, it’s quite a daunting task to make a good, interesting film about natural predators. But when the film ticks off all the aforementioned aspects, the audience is in for a hell of an entertaining ride – and that’s what The Shallows is – an unforgettable, thrilling ride.
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Blake Lively plays Nancy, a young woman who has dropped out of medical school. She decides to take a break by visiting a beach that her mother visited when she was pregnant. But her vacay plans go for a toss when a blood-thirsty shark starts attacking the beach and kills three people, leaving her stranded on a big sized rock in the middle of the sea.
The screenplay is amazingly tight and doesn’t meander for even a minute. Director Jaume Collet-Serra takes the reins and steers the screenplay in an iron-clad straightforward manner. Quite frankly, this is the kind of film which you watch without blinking your eyes. It has several she-didn’t-do-that moments to keep the interesting running.
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The background music by Marco Beltrami is haunting and keeps the audience on their toes – waiting for the next twist that’ll take the protagonist deeper into trouble – only for her to survive. The cinematography by Flavio Labiano is another strong point of the film. The camera angles create the right atmosphere and keep the audience intrigued as to what happens.
And at the heart of it all is Blake Lively, who is growing with every performance. She brings to life a complicated character, one who’s nervous as well as confident and doesn’t take no for an answer. This is a must-watch for every thrill-a-minute fan.
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