First, the Recap:
Don’t go in the water!! No–really–don’t go in the water!! For vacationer and surfer Nancy (Blake Lively), arriving to an isolated but fantastically pristine beach in Mexico known only to certain locals and her now-deceased mother (Janelle Bailey) only equals decompressing and having serene moments to herself. A strained relationship with her father (Brett Cullen) behind her and the envy of younger sister Chloe (Sedona Legge) in tow, Nancy heads out to surf the shimmering waters and mix with two locals. All is well until a new visitor emerges from this ocean sanctuary–a massive great white shark. Initially attacked and finding herself stranded a few hundred yards from shore, a frantic battle of wills ensues as Nancy fights to survive.
Worth Seeing: YES
Anchored by director Jaume Collet-Serra’s excellent guidance and sense of suspense-building, writer Anthony Jaswinski’s ominous and edge-of-your-seat writing, and the perfectly cast beauty and sheer athletic ability of lead star Lively, this is one effort that most certainly rises above itself with unexpected quality for a premise that could have simply sunk like so many other themes of this nature. Incredible cinematography throughout transports you to the sun splashed grandeur of the film’s primary locale while also immersing you in the moments of absolute terror which ultimately ensue. What impressed this reviewer as well was the basic explanation in itself of how the predator is there in the first place, and while the finale is a tad fantastical–folks–it works!!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
