Underwater

This 1980s premise in a modern audiovisual conception is not bad, and it’s actually helped by the casting of Kristen Stewart, who might not be Ripley, but she doesn’t look half bad with a boyish haircut and in underwear. Another good thing is the absence of exposition and the breakneck pace that promises what is probably the most honest horror since Event Horizon, this time, though, in an attractive and nonetheless atmospheric submarine setting. But then there are things that are not downright horrible, but due to the darkness itself and the wild editing, you can barely see what’s happening in about 60% of the scenes, and the most action-packed passage is followed by a lull that irreparably pushes all the tension below the level of the excellent beginning. What is funny at times, too, is the total disregard of otherwise clearly defined physical laws, but that is something I can forgive as part of the premise. The monster is creepy, though a little too sci-fi (something terrifying could live at a depth of 11 km, but it should be more realistic) and the ending is fine. It’s ideal as something to watch with friends, but that’s all the praise I can give it. 65% (01/04/2020)

I think this would make a cool video game. A pumped-up, slightly B-movie-ish sci-fi horror flick set in the Mariana Trench, where there isn’t much time for thinking. Because of that, however, the protagonists unfortunately have absolutely no character basis, so the viewer doesn’t really care that much when they kick the bucket. And that’s a bit of a shame. Stewart’s acting is actually really good and just a few brief flashbacks would have been enough to make the relationship between her and the captain a little deeper or something. The production design and visual effects are otherwise first-class; the station, the costumes and even Cthulhu look seriously good. (28/03/2020)

Kristen Stewart with her deadpan expression is completely out of her depth here as an actress, though the film itself is better than you’d expect from the behind-the-scenes rumors that made the rounds before it premiered. The cinematography is solid and properly gritty – to the point where you tell yourself: hey, this is what it might actually look like after a disaster ten kilometers below the sea. Unfortunately, this level of veracity means that when the protagonists leave the base for the open sea, it’s hard to make anything out in the dark waters; the chaotic editing doesn’t help. The Lovecraftian scares at the end didn’t do it for me either. (02/04/2020)

The best thing about Underwater is Kristen Stewart, and that’s not an exaggeration. The unusual image suited her speech very well. And the pop song in the closing credits is confirmation that the main intention was to draw in her fans. Atmospherically, the film works quite well and the way it dynamically draws the viewer into the plot is outstanding, but it gradually runs out of gas and shuffling around on the place is supposed to unleash the mediocre monsters. The motif of the environmental threat of drilling into the ocean floor isn’t exactly innovative and there is nothing here to make it anything special, so it just remains a worn-out cliché. (22/01/2020)

If there was a glut of underwater monster horror films in the cinemas, I may have complained that Underwater has poorly drawn characters, that the space and the action are sometimes hard to navigate, and that it doesn’t bring anything new to the sub-genre. But given that the last in any way comparable competition is 1989’s Leviathan, I won’t be a douchebag. And it’s also nice to go to watch a horror flick with a sea monster and get an excellently crafted genre film that doesn’t waste time and jumps right into an intensive action, basically the moment the lights in the theatre go out. The money can be seen. Eubank has once again proven that they can manage the visual aspect of filmmaking with panache. In terms of ambition, however, Underwater is probably the most mundane of their filmography, but this is certainly to the benefit of their cause. But for me, the main plus are the best designed monsters far and wide. (10/01/2020)