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I'm really surprised and excited that it seems like a decent movie. I wasn't much after it was announced that it was skipping theaters so this is a really pleasant surprise.

‘In The Deep’ (review)
July 8, 2016
IN-THE-DEEP

In most shark-centric motion pictures, filmmakers feel the need to up the stakes by giving the sharks an agenda; killing one victim after another for revenge, hate or the very simple love of the kill.

Rarely are cinematic sharks are depicted with their real purpose, as explained by Richard Dreyfuss’ shark expert Matt Hooper in Jaws, “(a shark is a) perfect engine, an eating machine. It’s really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that’s all.”

Which brings us to In The Deep, a terrifically entertaining thriller that sets the haunted house genre at the bottom of the ocean.

Jilted from a break-up, Lisa (Mandy Moore) and her sister Kate (Claire Holt) are vacationing together in Mexico. A night out leads to the opportunity to go cage diving with Great White sharks; although Kate is excited, Lisa requires more convincing. Lisa agrees to go, and soon they find themselves two hours off the coast of Huatulco, where they take their turn in the cage and are descended into the depths surrounded by Great Whites, when suddenly their cable snaps sending Lisa and Kate plummeting in the cage 47 meters down to the floor of the ocean.

With limited oxygen, and only able to communicate with the surface by leaving the cage and swim unprotected in dark, In The Deep works with the very best thrillers, depicting although an unlikely scenario, a very possible one.

Much of the film was filmed underwater and the script does an admirable job maintaining the verisimilitude.

Although the end cribs a bit from Neil Miller’s The Descent, In The Deep is a captivating thriller with solid performances from Moore and Holt.

And the sharks.

In the Deep
3 out of 5 Stars
Director: Johannes Roberts
Writers: Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera
Starring: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine
Genre: Thriller
Rated: Not rated
Recommended to: Anyone looking to dive into a claustrophobic nightmare

Synopsis: Sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) find themselves trapped in a shark observation cage surrounded by great whites and running low on oxygen.

Review: In 1985 NBC revived the “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” program. It fourth episode was called “Final Escape” and featured a story about an incarcerated killer who asks the prison’s gravedigger to smuggle him out in the coffin of the next inmate who dies.

It’s a brilliant little tale with a Hitchcock twist that had me feeling claustrophobic for weeks after. The thought of it still causes my chest to tighten.

Why? Because the horror was built upon a real fear and the situation presented in the telecast was plausible.

Over the years I’ve seen my share of cinematic slashers, exorcisms and paranormal activity. Nothing stuck with me like “Final Escape;” except maybe “Jaws.” “Jaws,” the original summer blockbuster changed the way its audience looked at the ocean.

Which brings us to “In the Deep,” a truly beguiling film that combines the claustrophobic aspects of “Final Escape” with the threat of visceral violence of “Jaws.” It presents an exaggerated, but still plausible, situation that finds two sisters stranded 47 meters beneath the ocean’s surface with a swarm of baited sharks circling.

Directed by Johannes Roberts (“The Other Side of the Door”) and shot by cinematographer Mark Silk, the vast majority of “In the Deep” takes place underwater. It’s an unusual choice that limits the visual pallet, but ultimately those limitations help to build tension. It’s dark, murky and you never know what might be lurking just out of view. Those looking for a scuba diving film that will convince their aunt who suffers from aquaphobia to get into the water will have to look elsewhere.

Stars Mandy Moore and Claire Holt bring a sense of realism to their roles aided by a smart script from Roberts and Ernest Riera that uses character development to ease off of the tension. The rest of the cast, which includes Matthew Modine, aren’t given much screen time, but the fact that we’re never quite sure if they are benevolent or sadistic gives the film an additional edge.

“In the Deep” is a white-knuckle experience with the sort of twist that would make Hitchcock proud. It’s gruff and rugged, but that’s all part of the charm.