Underwater

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Underwater is a tense, claustrophobic ride into the depths of the ocean that will (literally) not let you up for air. Director William Eubank, best known for his cinematography, does an admirable job bringing this terrifying story by Brian Duffield and Adam Cozad to life, despite moments of poor visibility. It’s fair to say that Underwater will be subjected to, and diminished by, comparisons to 1979’s Alien. These comparisons are unwarranted and are a major disservice to both films whose similarities begin and end with a crew of researchers being hunted by powerful otherworldly creatures. Underwater is a fun, fresh take on humanity’s inability to leave things alone – and will certainly make viewers think twice before their next diving expedition.

This movie doesn’t give viewers a lot of context. Backstory is fed to audiences through an extended title sequence of newspaper clippings that provide the “who” (Tian Industries), the “what” (Drilling in Marianas Trench) and the “why” (humans can’t have nice things) and then thrusts you into a submerged base on the ocean floor. There is no time to get to know the characters before the integrity of the Kepler Station is compromised. Norah (Kristen Stewart) is brushing her teeth and saving a spider one moment and then running into a secure chamber as the walls around her cave in on themselves. Norah, a mechanical engineer, meets up with Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) to close off the area and buy the rest of the station more time to fix the issue…or escape.

As Norah and Rodrigo make their way through the station’s various sectors, they meet up with a few survivors: Paul (TJ Miller), Emily (Jessica Henwick), Liam Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) and Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel). We don’t know much about them, but we learn about their character through their actions rather than through exposition. This is what keeps the movie’s pacing tight, allowing more time for what really matters – fighting gigantic sea monsters. Together they formulate a plan to escape the doomed Kepler Station to get to the Roebuck. There are a few problems with this plan, the first being the fact that they are just about seven miles beneath the ocean’s surface and will need to quite literally walk to the Roebuck, in the dark, in the midst of some ambiguous external conditions. Was it an earthquake? A giant squid? Faulty architecture?

Rodrigo is the first to succumb to the dangers of going where no man was ever meant to go. After the gang gets geared up in pressurized aquatic-astronaut suits they must go through yet another pressurized chamber before emerging on the ocean floor. Rodrigo’s helmet is compromised, and he dies instantly from the pressure – bits and pieces of his body floating around in the darkness. This is the film’s first indication of cool scares, moderate gore and inventive kills. Rodrigo’s expiration is a reminder to the audience and the surviving characters of just how high the stakes are. On the sea floor, everything is stacked against your survival. The team recovers from Rodrigo’s death as best they can and begin a twisted journey to the Roebuck…but they’re not alone down there.

It starts with the discovery of a violent baby sea worm, which opens the door for gigantic ghoul-like squid and then one unnamable creature who makes the Megalodon look like a Pomeranian puppy. The darkness of the film dampens the cool factor of the creatures, but they’re still well done, and the lighting can be forgiven, given the fact that the film is set in the depths of the ocean. However, you can’t blame a girl for wanting to see more creature in a creature feature. Through their journeys against the elements and the beasts they’ve awakened, audiences get to see what the characters are really made of – making the affinity we feel for them all the more authentic. Norah is the lead and Kristen Stewart balances her trademark existential discomfort with the makings of promising action-hero chops adding to the film’s overall enjoyability. There are also moments of humor thanks to TJ Miller and John Gallagher Jr. along with glimmers of humanity like love, fear and a will to survive that flow through each character. Although, that is especially apparent in interactions involving Norah and Emily.

Overall, Underwater is a lot of fun. It’s a little bit Alien, yes, but it’s also got a dash of The Descent and a variety of other movies that expertly employ the most thrilling parts of any genre-crossing horror/action/adventure/thriller. There are some solid jump scares, cool kills, massive monsters and a whole lot of commentary on what happens when humans try to play God and go where they’re not invited. Go see Underwater for a quick trip beneath the surface and get your blood pumping again. If all else, this picture will make you grateful for the air in your lungs and sun on your skin.