Underwater (2020)

Underwater is an American science fiction horror film that has so far grossed $37.5 million over a $65 million budget, becoming the 6th-highest-grossing film of 2020 so far.  It’s rated M for science fiction themes, violence and coarse language (in Australia).  The following are the 10 most recent IMDb reviews for the film.

5/10

NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ON AUTOPILOT…!

masonfisk7 February 2020

Kristen Stewart’s latest (actually it sat on a shelf for a couple of years) borrows heavily from Alien & The Abyss as we follow survivors of an underwater oil rig which has collapsed. Needing to get to safer ground, they must sea walk to different stations before gaining safety at an abandoned section of the complex where the only escape pods reside. Besides the usual choke points found in these wet climes (pressure, visibility, the need for oxygen), we have underwater creatures (released from the drilling) on the stalk. Running a brisk run time & knowing exactly where the story will be at any given second, the onus should’ve been on the director William Eubanks (he made an interesting film back in 2014 named The Signal which had a good look to it but also suffered from story in-cohesion) to tweak things by twisting expectations but we’re never in doubt on how this monster mash will end. Co-starring T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist’s Colleen Wing) & John Gallagher Jr.

6/10

It was not the worst

Seasuzie6 February 2020

I watch many horror sci fi movies from blockbusters to low budget found footage. This movie could have been great with special effects. I have mixed feelings about Kristen Stewart. I like her since she was a young actress but she has certain facial expressions that distract me. I don’t think she is the type of actress that you can focus the camera close to her face without it feeling weird. You can zoom in certain actresses that can act without speaking. Just their expressions. I think she would do better in a ensemble cast. I definitely think this movie is about a 5 or 6. But I’m very tolerant of sci fi horror movies because there not many out there. I wish Kristen could get some acting lessons to help her not make the same expressions in every movie she is in.

7/10

Derivative, But Competent

captgage-15 February 2020

Underwater not only goes about 7 miles to the ocean floor, but where many sci-fi/horror movies have gone. Movies about an isolated group of people in peril from a monstrouos presence or presences have been done at least The Thing back in the 1950s. Alien hit it big in 1979 with the theme, jumpstarting the trend. This type of movie will be done over again indefinitely.

Underwater is the latest variation on a theme from Fox, which was recently bought out by Disney. As the movie was reportedly shot back in 2017, it’s believed that Disney didn’t care about it and released it when it did. At any rate, we’ve got a likable enough crew who have to abandon their deepsea drilling station when disaster strikes. And it strikes almost immediately, giving the film a fast start. Director Bill Eubank’s camera quietly explores the interior of the station for a short time before catapulting Stewart and crew into peril. The captain is a caring and brave soul who has to decide on the best course of action for evacuating the station and trekking to safetly with whatever’s left at his disposal..

As anyone who’s seen the previews knows, the main obstacle confronting the humans is a school of previously-undiscovered life forms with lots of razor-sharp teeth. The movie by now has settled into the who-dies-and-who-lives formula.

Eubank milks enough mileage out of a simplistic, no-frills storyline as Underwater moves along. the pacing is well-handled, not too fast and not too slow, as the token funny guy and the rest of the crew bravely press on. The characters briefly mention a detail or two of their lives outside of work: family, lost love and little else. Characterization isn’t a major thing in Underwater, but it’s worth checking out at a bargain theater or a matinee.

4/10

Never in my life have I seen such a wasted movie.

romerodiego5 February 2020

Warning: Spoilers

If you gave it more depth, lore and mystery could be a good movie but it has absolutely nothing like that. Am I supposed to know that the monster that comes out is Cthullu? How? For a graffiti that appears on a wall in a film frame? The plot is void, everything is supposed to be secret, so much that they didn’t even know what the movie was about. The character that does not stop joking you completely out of the movie. The best is the setting and the scene in which one explodes from the pressure. I have read people who compare this with alien … Have you seen the same movie as me?

6/10

A very dark and tough to follow film, but it has its moments

jtindahouse5 February 2020

As I was watching ‘Underwater’ I was thinking to myself that it was very strange that T.J. Miller was in the film, because I was sure that Hollywood had blacklisted him after his controversy. It wasn’t until afterwards when I read that it had been filmed way back in 2017 that it made sense. Typically January is known as a month where the worst of the worst films get released. I don’t think it would be fair to put ‘Underwater’ in that category though. It’s far from perfect admittedly, but it does have its moments.

This is an extremely dark film. Not dark in terms of tone, dark in terms of lighting. Now that might be considered fair when you factor in that the film is entirely set at the bottom of ocean, but it doesn’t change the fact that it can make it difficult to watch at times. Combine that with the tight and claustrophobic way the film is shot and this can be a very laborious movie to follow. It’s hard to get your bearing on exactly where everything is in relation to everything else a lot of the time. Then finally add in the fact that a lot of characters lines are quite hard to pick up, partly because of the suits the characters wear and partly because of mumbled delivery and accents on the actor’s parts, and you have yourself a film that isn’t the easiest to watch.

The strength of the film lies in the suspense it is able to build. There are some very well crafted scenes in that respect. Also the pacing is lightning quick. After a quick opening credit sequence the film immediately kicks into the action and almost never relents. I wanted to like the creature side of things more, and I would say I didn’t hate them, but they did feel slightly forced and out of place. It felt too much like the film was trying to be ‘Alien’, just “underwater”, so to speak. This isn’t must-see material but there is enough to keep you interested and entertained if you do decide to give it a shot.

5/10

Stupid and boring

raziel-080924 February 2020

Screaming here and there Water here and there Some stupid conversations here and there No real catchy plot I almot fell asleep watching it Only screaming woke me up Im giving it 5 stars because i like lovecraft horror style .

10/10

Going After Cthulhu

FabioPirovano3 February 2020

Where the pressure is 1100 Kg per cm2, the bonus must certainly be good to finish drilling on the bottom of the Mariana trench, including the bonus for taking your personal problems with you; is the first thing I thought of these 300 technicians suddenly blown away by the opening of a Pandora’s box but perhaps so far from sunlight it was to be expected. The film expresses art, it is technically flawless from the costumes of Dorotka Sapinska passing through the scenography of Naaman Marshall (art director of The Dark Knight) cinematographed by the Montenegrin Bojan Bazelli, ASC assisted by our Roberto De Angelis to the Steadycam (Public Enemies) to the special effects of the British Moving Picture Company (MPC) start to escape and the feeling to get trapped for 95′ is accompanied by the splendid electronic scores of the ever better Marco Beltrami (The Thing 2011, Scream) & Brandon Roberts (Soundtrack only available in digital download) Although William Eubank’s UNDERWATER is influenced by masterpieces like Alien, I felt clearly a sound of the Nostromo in their main room at the beginning of the film passing to admire Kristen in briefs for the last 10 minutes of film, the most banal error that can be done is to waste time comparing this outstanding movie to the already done forgetting what is being watching; if you do it in this spirit, you can only want to see it again and again because it is a unique film, a well-written, solid Lovecraftian nightmare that keeps you going until the last implosion.

6/10

Another one expression role for Kristen Stewart

olivewahh3 February 2020

With Underwater, the title doesn’t leave much to the imagination, as the film starts off well… underwater. We see an exhausted Kristen Stewart with a shaved head, as she brushes her teeth in a facility bathroom on her own. While the surroundings remain silence, with a few vibrations and the occasional flickering of the lights, it isn’t not long into the film where Norah (Kristen Stewart) is sent into a panic rush, as high-pressured water bursts through the walls. Leaving everything behind, Norah bolts down the halls, banging on doors to alarm crew of the danger. With no time to slow down, Norah bumps into crew member Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) and the two find themselves shutting themselves off from the possibility of drowning.

As the two surviving members recollect their focus and thoughts, survival instincts kick in and the two squeeze their way through tight gaps to gather with fellow survivors along with the Captain (Vincent Cassel). The small group of survivors form together, and head towards a control room as they try their luck at contacting above water for help but receive an unsuccessful response. With oxygen running low, the Captain takes authority in attempt to rescue his crew, but to get to the crew to safety, they must dive lower where they discover that they’re not alone out in the deep blue sea.

Where Underwater lacks in backstory to where and why these people are deep down underwater. The film makes up for it with some suspenseful scenes and impressive looking graphics. However, I felt it was hard to build any connection to the characters, as we don’t really learn much about them to grow any attachment to.

I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, as this has been quoted so many times prior, but Kristen Stewart struggles so hard to show more than one expression. The tone in her voice remained the same whether she was scared, angry, or happy, it was all the same. Her whole performance wasn’t bad, however with Stewart being the lead role in this film, she needed to deliver more as I struggled to feel the emotions she was going through.

Ultimately T.J. Miller who plays the character Paul, becomes the glue to the film with his hilarious sense of humour, his love for his rabbit plushie and strong presence on-screen.

Overall, despite my criticism, I really enjoyed this film and highly recommend Underwater to fans of horror and sci-fi.

4/10

what to do, where to go

catpantry2 February 2020

Its a question we ask ourselves when we wake up and it all comes flooding in. Devin decided to sit in his backyard for 24 hours. He began at 12:02 midnight, the moon was directly overhead. He pushed his head so he could get a good look. It was a crescent moon. And he said: “12:02 AM, the moon is sharp, I’m still waiting for everything.” Devin gripped his throat and slid his hand down to give his stomach a punch. And then it was the suns turn. Devin’s body was moving all over, but what stood out most were his arms. They wiggled like spaghetti. His neighbor (WILLO) peering over the fence with squinting eyes. Willo lit a cigarette. She said: “Devin, Devin, can you hear me, I want you gone.”

1/10

Can we say Kristen Stewart’s career is over yet?

awkwardkoala2 February 2020

Underwater wouldn’t even fare as a theatrical release, it has DTV quality. The sets feel cheap and low budget, the cinematography lifeless. It has no atmosphere for being underwater that is its biggest crime. But the acting. Kristen is terrible. TJ Miller, yes that guy who committed terrorist acts, still gets put in movies. I wish I could get a refund. We have seen this same script about eight hundred times.

[What do you think of this film?  Be sure to let me know in the comments!  Also, send me your review of any movie – in the comments section of any post – and I’ll post it on this site.]

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