Underwater: A Film Review
I love this film. And yet, objectively, it is not a great film. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly enjoyable, and the performances are solid. However, nothing about it screams brilliance. At some point, it became a comfort film, one of those films that you watch when you don't know what to watch, or you will only be half-watching whilst completing some other task. What I find appealing about the film is the Lovecraftian premise. Trapped far beneath the waves, the dangers of the ocean pressing in all around them, the survivors of the mining crew are pursued by unknowable creatures, and something worse lurks out in the dark and frigid waters. I remember, vaguely, some critic comparing this film to Alien, but I fail to see the comparison. It stands on its own with a very different kind of menace. Laced throughout this film are themes of loss, grief, and helplessness, with the backdrop of the unforgiving ocean highlighting the futility of struggling against something uncaring and unmoving. It is a story about survival in the face of things that cannot be defeated.
Kristen Stewart is serviceable in her performance as Norah, possessing a certain vulnerability and pessimism, showing someone merely holding on instead of truly living. I know some people have an issue with her acting, but I blame that largely on the Bella character from the Twilight films. Kristen herself has always had a believability to her work, true she might not be a great actor but her work is never of poor quality. Along with Norah, there are a handful of other survivors, those being Rodrigo, Paul, Captain Lucien, Smith, and his girlfriend Emily. In an underwater facility that is heavily damaged, they have few options and only a slim chance of survival. Their only hope is to make it to the next station, only possible by walking across the sea floor in suits that might kill them. All in all, a pretty grim situation. As a note, Jessica Henwick continues to be a standout even amid this cast, something that I noticed since first watching her in Iron Fist. Marvel, bring back Colleen Wing, not Danny Rand.
Things, inevitably, continue to go wrong for our survivors, Rodrigo dying next in an impressive implosion, leaving the remaining five to push on. I know this film is largely Sci-fi horror, but it is a good psychological horror too. The oppressive environment, the hopelessness of their situation, and the growing realisation that something lurks in the dark help to show characters doing their best to survive and struggle against grim reality. Some horrors go for shocks, jump scares, and gore to grab the audience's attention, but this relies on their desperation and the faint hope of making it to the escape pods. Not that there aren't one or two jump scares, but the film does rely on them. The moment when they truly realise how much danger they're in is an impressive one, and ends with an explosive suit breach. Another aspect of this film that is, in my opinion, done well is the characterisation. We don't have any skilled heroes here, with the women coming to the fore simply for their inability to give in, regardless of their situation. No Mary Sues, just determined women doing their best to survive.
With the reveal of what the cause of all this destruction and chaos is, we come to understand that they are faced with something beyond their understanding, or hope to combat. The moment of seeing the creature amid the sea, massive and terrible, is a profound one. This is not just a danger to them but to everything above the surface. As a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, not so much the creator himself, seeing that thing loom out of the darkness was one I had waited to see in live action. True, not a perfect representation of the Great Old One, but close enough for there to be no mistake what this thing is. And their reaction to this horror is to desperately flee, for there is nothing else they can do. There is no hope of stopping this thing. Thanks to Norah, Emily, and Smith escape to the surface, but she is left below. Left with nowhere to go, she does the only thing she can to protect her friends, blowing up the core of the station, seemingly putting a stop to the creature.
Again, this is not the greatest film out there, but it is one of my favourites in recent years. For me, it's an easy 8 out of 10, but I could see it being lower for others. It is action light, more of a slow burn, and that doesn't work for everyone. With a pervading atmosphere, little hope, and a threat beyond their ken, this film works by showing the futility of striving against certain elements of the universe. Easily recommended to fans of sci-fi horror, and/or cosmic horror.
