Ever since the deal for Disney to acquire Fox's movie and TV assets closed last year, the Mouse House has taken over releasing Fox movies that were completed before the deal finalized. One such movie is Underwater, a deep-sea action horror movie that seems like it would've been far more at home on Netflix (or some other streaming service) than as a theatrical release. The fast-paced, sci-fi thriller clocks in at an uncompromising 95-minute runtime, which allows director William Eubank (Love) to deliver a quick, if hollow movie. Eubank is working from a script by Brian Duffield (The Babysitter) and Adam Cozad (The Legend of Tarzan), and a story by Duffield. Underwater is a tense and relentless thrill ride at the bottom of the ocean, but lacks any substance, delivering a shallow and boring sci-fi movie.
The film begins with a credits sequence that's meant to set the stage - with news articles about a deep sea drilling accident and mysterious anomalies - but goes by much too quickly for the viewer to fully understand the world in which they're about to be immersed. This credits sequence has the mentality of a true crime docuseries and from this introduction, it's clear Underwater is a movie that takes itself seriously, and not seriously enough at the same time. Underwater is decidedly not a B-movie creature feature, even though it too often leans on tropes and cliches of the genre. Instead, the movie puts the most focus on the characters' attempts to survive amid an impossible situation, with it being clear they aren't truly aware of what the situation really is. There's some science in this sci-fi thriller, but Underwater seems more preoccupied with delivering a thrilling experience than on anything like story, science or world-building beyond the bare minimum.
While that would seemingly set the stage for a compelling character piece, Underwater sacrifices character development for action and thrills. The cast of Underwater is led by Kristen Stewart as mechanical engineer Norah, who saves herself and Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) from the initial effects of the "earthquake" that hits their underwater drilling station. They meet up with fellow survivors, Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel), Emily (Jessica Henwick), Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) and Paul (T.J. Miller). This group is where Underwater treads most into fun creature feature territory, with both Miller and Gallagher Jr. delivering some comedic relief to break the tension. But these moments don't balance the tension very well, and are mostly at odds with the overly serious scenes of the crew trying to survive. With no escape pods left, the Captain determines they should walk across the ocean floor to another drilling station and try to reach the surface from there.
Stewart is a fine enough lead for what Underwater is going for, which is to put normal people in an incredibly abnormal situation, and Stewart plays a compelling everywoman. Much of the story tension comes from whether Norah and the rest of the surviving crew have the abilities and the determination to do what they need to survive against incredible odds. While that's premise enough for what could be an entertaining survival thriller, Underwater throws in the sci-fi element of deep-sea creatures, though the film still tries to maintain a believability - until it doesn't. But the script for Underwater doesn't give Stewart or her co-stars (who are serviceable enough) much to work with aside from the action scenes as Eubank focuses more on creating the experience with closeups on Stewart's face, and tight camerawork, especially in the underwater scenes. However, some of these scenes border on being unwatchable when the camera is too tight on a character and it's unclear what's happening; Underwater uses this too often to employ jump-scare horror. Still, Eubank does deliver on the visceral, suffocating feeling of being trapped at the bottom of the ocean.
Altogether Underwater is a middling movie that spans multiple genres, from sci-fi and thriller to action and horror, and can't seem to focus on any specific one. It's a fine enough theater experience, tense and immersive at its best, frustratingly muddy and confusing at its worst. But while the 95-minute runtime ensures a blisteringly quick adventure, Underwater is still drowning in cliches - including one especially egregious horror cliche that shouldn't still be around in 2020 (even if the writers try to put a new spin on it). The lack of meaningful character development is only highlighted further when Underwater attempts to flesh out its characters, giving them all one-note backstories - if they're given backstories at all. Ultimately, Underwater is too shallow to deliver a meaningful experience.
As a result, even fans of deep-sea horror or thriller movies may want to wait to check this one out when it hits home release - and those not interested could miss it entirely. Underwater plays out like a Netflix original movie, in that it may have had a higher chance of success if it had been released on a streaming service with a lower barrier of entry than the price of a movie theater ticket. It's entertaining enough as something to watch at home alone or with friends, but doesn't provide the level of entertainment expected from a theatrical experience. Underwater isn't a fun popcorn creature feature, but neither is it a compelling character drama. All in all, Underwater sinks - in more ways than one.
Underwater is now playing in U.S. theaters. It is 95 minutes long and rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and terror, and brief strong language.
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