Review of The Shallows

I find it hilarious still that someone complained how violent this PG-13 film was compared to Neon Demon which I watched recently. I mean sure if this was R maybe I would understand. Given all the stuff that happens in Neon Demon though I just don't get it. I have been meaning to watch this for a bit and now I finally can. Jaume Collet-Serra has directed three Liam Neeson driven movies, House of Wax, and Orphan. He has a bit of a mixed record with House of Wax being pretty bad as well as the lackluster Run All Night. His other films are great though. Anthony Jaswinski also wrote the unpopular Vanishing on 7th Street (which I have to say is a major guilty pleasure for me) as well as Kristy which I recommend checking out. Okay that opening was actually pretty creepy. Blake Lively is such a stunning woman. I wonder why it's such a secret. Still Carlos seems like such a nice guy. That ending was pretty impressive. I was curious how it would all end. The cinematography is absolutely incredible. It put me in awe several times. The music is pretty great too. It escalates the intensity of a scene or it's just cool. Blake Lively is wonderful as the lead. She is more than just a pretty face. She really proves her own while almost entirely working here alone. Steven Seagull is absolutely adorable. Who would have thought a bird could be so intelligent. This felt a lot like 127 Hours meets Castaway meets Jaws. I felt the cringiness that 127 Hours made me feel. The sad solitariness that Castaway made me feel. Then of course I felt the amazement of a badass shark like with Jaws. This is probably one of the best shark movies in awhile. I haven't felt that much tension in awhile. Remember the very similar Open Water movie? This utilizes the idea of a small cast and hits it out of the park way better than that did. If you like shark and survival movies I would definitely recommend checking this one out.