47 Metres Down

47 METERS DOWN

Director : Johannes Roberts
Year : 2017
Genre : Thriller
Rating : **

What would happen if you took one of the scariest scenes from 'Jaws' and replaced the stellar acting, iconic score and likeable characters with wooden performances, bland orchestrations and two-dimensional archetypes? Answer, you'd get a film as uninspired and as boring as '47 Meters Down'. Originally intended to be a straight to DVD release, this British made shark-caper from director Johannes Roberts ('The Other Side Of The Door') has only garnered theatrical distribution due to the fact that last years similarly themed 'The Shallows' generated good box office and even better reviews. But while that movie was an intense and thrilling rollercoaster ride, '47 Meters Down' is a tired and generic creature feature that recycles many of the well-worn tropes seen in much better shark films such as 'Open Water', 'The Reef' and, of course 'Jaws' without bringing anything new to the already full table. 

In the film, Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play two sisters who reluctantly decide to partake in an illegal shark diving expedition with a group of hunky Mexicans. However, disaster strikes when the weathered rope attaching the cage to the boat snaps, sending the girls hurtling down into the shark-infested waters. What ensues is a very dull 90 minutes in which the two sisters, with the aid of underwater walkie-talkies, trade some of the most idiotic dialogue heard all year while they are stalked by unconvincing CGI fish. At times, Roberts makes effectively claustrophobic use of his aquatic environments and while undeniably fake, his toothy computer generated stars manage to generate a couple of thrills. However, an overall lack of tension, a simply dreadful screenplay, two very unlikeable central performances and simply stupid twist-ending make '47 Meters Down' one of the most consistently dreary experiences of the Summer. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the cinema.