Deep Water review by Bobby Blakey
Director Renny Harlin knows his way around action and horror with classic films like Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and The Strangers Trilogy among so many others. His latest film takes him into the action thriller survival mash-up drama with Deep Water. The film stars Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Molly Belle Wright, Angus Sampson, Kelly Gale, and Li Wenhan with KISS frontman Gene Simmons one of the producers, but does it manage to bring the intensity and human conflict it promises or will it sink to the bottom of the ocean and become chum for the sharks?
Deep Water follows a flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai that goes down in the middle of the Pacific. After surviving the crash, the survivors soon discover they’re not alone… and must fight to survive the shark-infested waters.
Disaster and shark themed films are a dime a dozen, so I am always hesitant going into them, but also love both genres. As a big fan of Harlin’s films, I was interested in this one but was hoping that the shark teases were substantial since a lot of films push the shark narrative and disappoint in execution. What’s interesting here is that it is actually well-done blend of almost two different films that work but also has some elements that fall short.
The initial element of the film is focusing on the set up of characters leading to the inevitable plane crash which could have been the film all itself. While it does fall into the cliché world of the cast of characters, it still leans into the drama and manages to pull you in. This all leads to the plane crash segment that while the cause is kind of silly but deals with something we are all warned about. The crash itself is outstanding and easily one of the best I have seen in some time. They bring tons of chaos, violence and intensity to the moment that lasts for a decent amount of time to let it keep building layers to it before the final decent and destruction.
Once into the ocean it uses the sections of the plane to separate the survivors which allows it to keep multiple survival journeys to happen with some elements reminiscent and even referenced to The Poseidon Adventure. (The original not the remake) The addition of the sharks adds a new element of danger and does get silly at times but in a fun way that fans of the genre will no doubt enjoy. Most of the film was done practically, complete with the sets that help to elevate the film, but I will say that some of the initial visuals after the crash do come off kind of fake. Thankfully as it moves forward it adjusts to the eyes and works. The sharks are clearly the CGI portion, and most are fine, but a couple are laughable.
The cast are all fine with the usual cast of characters that you root for and others you can’t wait for them to die. There is one main character played by Angus Sampson who I am a fan of but is unlikable in every way. There is no redeeming quality to him, and it gets infuriating at times which I am sure is by design for the payoff of his end to the film. There are those dumb decision-making moments that will make you palm smack your face, but despite the cliches and silliness it still brings enough to entertain. It would have worked better just leaning into the wreck and struggling to live without the sharks, but it wouldn’t have been near as much fun.
This is a popcorn flick worth checking out that still brings some depth to the tone while still allowing you to turn off your brain and just have some fun. Decide for yourself and check out Deep Water in theaters on May 1st from Magenta Light Studios.
We were lucky enough to get to check out the film at a premiere at the Dallas Film Festival complete with director Renny Harlin and producer and KISS legend Gene Simmons in attendance. The theme to the event was a blast with them handing out snacks as we entered the theaters complete with “Enjoy your flight” before heading to your seats. Harlin and Simmons introduced the film, stayed to watch it with the audience and did a fun Q&A afterwards.
