47 Metres Down

In my top 5 of shark films.

In my top 5 for shark movies.

What an intense movie this is. I enjoyed the way it places you on the spot and makes you think about what you are going to do if you were to be in those situations.

Despite being quite a tough movie to see, I think that Johannes Roberts did a great job of making sure that the CGI is not so bad or disturbing to watch.

This movie’s intensity almost made away with reality, yet it was so entertaining for me to watch and I believe that almost anyone would enjoy it as well.

I think the ending would have been better with less screaming, people would have thought I was watching a really crazy movie around my apartment complex.

“47 Metres Down” had the capacity and the possibility to actually be an excellent film but it just fell short and followed the rather predictable plot of a survival film involving sharks.



For this film to actually work you had to have two rather naïve characters which the film provides with sisters Lisa and Kate. Naturally, you have the outgoing sister that is trying to convince the other to do something wild and of course, the other sister agrees to go along with it. From that moment on, you realise that all of the signs that everyone would see as “DANGER!”, “DO NOT TRY THIS!” just do not seem to compute for these two sisters.



It all seems to be going perfectly well – and you start to wonder whether you’re in the right screening – before it all seems to go wrong at once. The sisters are plunged to the bottom of the ocean and this is where the potential of the film could have been exploited; the large expanse of murky, dangerous water is actually rather chilling, knowing that the rust-riddled cage is the only minor defence between the two sisters and the agitated Great Whites that you know are circling but cannot be seen. An incredibly tense atmosphere is created here but then it gets ruined by the cheesy dialogue between the two sisters and their constant attempts to get out of the cage, swimming a few metres up so that the radio crackles to life, they’re told to stay in the cage so they go back they’re out of the range of the boat's radio. It was exceedingly frustrating.



When the sisters have to venture out of the cage, there is a chilling suspense and with the only light source a flare, the suspense instantly climbs and I was torn between wanting to turn my head away or watching the drama unfold. These moments is when the film really shines and that capacity of greatness is viable but then it returns to dialogue or annoying tropes and the mood shifts back to the three star marker. If only some of the plot wasn’t so obvious then it really could have been a solid four stars.



The ending is interesting, although still quite predictable, and I would recommend this film but perhaps just for people to recognise that the film had potential and could have been something more so to call this a frustrating – but fairly enjoyable – watch is fair.