Underwater (2020) Review

Underwater feels like a modern homage to some of my favorite horror films of all-time. Despite a fun premise and some tense moments, the film ultimately falls short of anything more than a rental or a late night scare.

On an oil drill deep in the Mariana Trench, seven miles underwater, a group of researchers become trapped when the rig implodes. As they find survivors and plan their escape, it becomes clear that something is hunting them.

This is the last film released by 20th Century Fox, before Disney bought them and changed the name to 20th Century Studios. It was originally filmed in the spring of 2017 and was shelved. It could have something to do with alleged sexual assaulter and fake bomb threat caller T.J. Miller being cast as the comic relief. Whatever the reasons, the film feels like the end of an era as they move into a new one.

After watching the trailer, you see the characters living going about their regular days before the mayhem begins. Unfortunately none of those scenes make it into the final cut. Instead, it begins with Kristen Stewart brushing her teeth and then the action begins. We don't spend time with any other character prior to the destruction. My guess was they wanted to begin with her and end with her, clearly establishing her as our main character. But the film doesn't use the other characters to help build Kristen's motivation other than to survive. We don't learn much about her, and what we do learn doesn't change how the audience viewed her before. Almost all of the other characters treat the situation as anyone should, with a sense of seriousness and urgency. T.J. Miller is used as the comic relief, and as with many films in this genre, it doesn't feel appropriate unless it's done subtly, which it isn't. Sadly none of the characters are developed enough for us to care about them and it hurts an otherwise entertaining film.

Underwater is well shot. The station looks lived in, the underwater scenes create claustrophobia by using flashlights to trick your eyes into seeing things that aren't there, or are they? The editing is done well enough to create intense action set-pieces, but the film rarely slows down to build the tension back up again. Due to lack of air to breathe, the film could have taken place in space, and the story shares a striking similarity to the video game Dead Space, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Also, 20th Century Fox has produced numerous films that feel eerily similar in tone to this one, namely Alien and The Abyss. Unlike those films sadly, there isn't enough world-building for the supernatural elements to move the story forward, and it ends before it even begins. Instead the threat is treated more as an obstacle rather than for the narrative. Unfortunately it's wasted potential in what could have been a modern cult-classic.

Underwater is a decent rent for a rainy day, but doesn't have enough meat on its bones to warrant further installments. It's the last film for a studio that otherwise has created some incredible properties in the genre, and is going out with an underwhelming poof instead of an epic bang.