Movie review: ‘The Shallows,’ bloody ocean thriller will terrify teens
The Shallows (Columbia Pictures)
Blake Lively takes on a shark in The Shallows. (Columbia Pictures)
Parents need to know that The Shallows is a tense, bloody, jump-out-of-your-seat thriller. (Common Sense Media/TNS)
Parents need to know that “The Shallows” is a tense, bloody, jump-out-of-your-seat thriller starring Blake Lively as a young med school dropout who goes surfing at a secluded beach. After being chomped on by a shark, she must figure out how to survive and get to safety. Many scenes could scare the pants off of kids (and adults), including a shark jumping out of the water with its jaws open (then chomping down on a surfer) and a man crawling onto the beach with half his body chewed off. It’s very exciting, but it’s not for the faint of heart. That said, Nancy is a strong, determined woman who never loses her cool, though she does swear a few times (including “f–k” and “s–t”). Bottom line? “The Shallows” is both terrifying and entertaining, but it’s not for young kids or anyone afraid of the water or blood. If you couldn’t handle “Jaws,” skip this one, too.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
Nancy Adams is a young med school dropout who goes to a secluded beach to surf and mourn the death of her mother. She quickly realizes that she’s not alone … there’s a shark in the water with her. She survives its attack, but that’s just the beginning of her battle of wits with the Great White. Stranded 200 yards from shore, Nancy has to figure out how to get out alive.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
Like the shark at the center of its story, “The Shallows” pulls you in the minute Nancy grabs her surfboard and gets in the water. The Great White gets her right away, but that’s only the beginning of her fight to stay alive. Lively is in almost every scene of the movie, and she’s compelling enough to make it work. She’s alone, injured and trapped, but still manages to stitch up her leg, make a video, and fight off a giant shark. She’s a tough, strong woman who doesn’t need saving.
There are quite a few terrifying shots of people being grabbed by sharks, but the scariest is what you don’t see: i.e. a surfer being pulled in from under the water and not coming back up (and then there’s Lively’s face while it’s all happening). It’s only 87 minutes long, but you’ll be holding your breath for much of that time. Unlike “Jaws,” the shark looks very real here (though the same can’t be said for the scenes of Lively surfing … ) and even more menacing. The end is a little silly, and “The Shallows” won’t end up a classic like “Jaws” did, but it will give a new generation of beachgoers an ominous feeling when they look down in the water.
RATING AND CONTENT
Recommended for ages 13+
Quality: 4 out of 5
Positive messages: 2 out of 5
Positive role models: 3 out of 5
Violence: 4 out of 5
Sex: 1 out of 5
Language: 4 out of 5
Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 1 out of 5
Consumerism: 2 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
MOVIE DETAILS
Theatrical release date: June 24, 2016
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 87 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13
