47 Meters Down (2016)

Number Rolled: 84

Movie Name/Year: 47 Meters Down (2016)

Tagline: No Help. No Hope. No Escape.

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Length: 89 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: thefyzz, Tea Shop & Film Company, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Dimension Films, Altitude Film Sales, Dragon Root Securities, Flexibon Films, Lantica Media

Producer: Iain Abrahams, Byron Allen, Mark Borde, Andrew Boucher, Alastair Burlingham, Chris Charalambous, Cion, Will Clarke, David Dennehy, Mark DeVitre, Carolyn Folks, Catherine Freeman, David Gilbery, Kate Glover, Wayne Marc Godfrey, James Harris, Patricia Hatcher, Robert Jones, Mark Lane, Arnaud Lannic, Christophe Lannic, Keith Levine, Julian Levy, Simon Lewis, Paul Lisberg, Jennifer Lucas, Alex Mandell, Norman Mandell, Andy Mayson, Duncan McWilliam, Jasmin Morrison, Caroline Risberg, Mike Runagall, Matthew Signer, Lee Stone, Lee Vandermolen, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein

Director: Johannes Roberts

Writer: Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera

Actors: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Chris Johnson, Yani Gellman, Santiago Segura, Matthew Modine

Stunt Doubles: Zoe Masters, Elspeth Rodgers, Jenny Stock

Blurb from Netflix: With little oxygen left in their scuba tanks, two sisters are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean while great whites circle nearby.

Selina’s Point of View:

I have two separate opinions of this film, which kind of annoys me. If I watch a movie, I prefer to either like or dislike it. I’ll even take complete apathy over two separate, and completely opposite, perceptions.

I’ll start with dislike.

The first half-hour or so was one of the dumbest films I’ve ever seen.

Now, I’m well aware that most films take a little while to wind up and set the story parameters for the audience. As viewers, we need to understand the relationships and world being portrayed in the film. I not only understand that, I expect it. I’m not upset that there was exposition. I’m upset that there was dumb exposition.

It felt like the writer had an idea and had no idea how to set it up. Instead of writing something worthwhile, they wrote some tropes on a dart board and took a shot. That must be how we got the first 30 minutes of this film. It was a hot mess.

I also had some trouble, overall, getting attached to any of the characters. None of them had any substance. You had the mousey overly-whiney, heartbroken girl alongside the wild friend/sister type and a few unmemorable hot vacation guys. I couldn’t have cared less about any of them.

If the characters were just a touch more interesting and the setup of the story didn’t just follow the least common denominator, I would have liked the film a lot more.

Moving on to what I did like.

There were aspects of dialog in the second part of the film that weren’t the best in the world, but the story wasn’t bad. I especially enjoyed the ending more than I thought I would. I, unfortunately, can’t get specific without blowing up spoilers… but the big ‘thriller’ aspects were very interesting to watch.

It wasn’t terrible, but mediocre is the best I’d give it.

Cat’s Point of View:

June 2017 was an outstanding month for movies. If you haven’t guessed, it’s the month 47 Meters Down hit US theaters. It had some stiff competition vying for audience attention. Both Selina and I have this film listed in our top 10 out of June’s Top 20 list. (Her placement was #7, while mine was #10. I wish it’d been higher, in hindsight.)

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating – I’m a sucker for shark movies. When you add that factor with the talents of Mandy Moore (Hotel Noir, TRON: Uprising, Red Band Society) and Claire Holt (Blue Like Jazz, Aquarius, The Divorce Party), the result is a can’t-miss film.

The whole concept gives me the heebie-jeebies. My long-standing fascination with the fierce and toothy aquatic predators is not nearly enough incentive to get me into a shark cage. They say ‘never say never,’ but I am fairly confident that I’m not pushing my luck by saying I will NEVER be participating in a shark-cage dive. EVER. This nightmare scenario is one of the many reasons ‘I just can’t even.’

All that being said, this movie was decidedly a treat.

I enjoyed the sisters’ story in spite of the fact that it’s not the most original. However, the film dives into fresh and original territory when you hit the water.

My heart was pounding when the credits rolled. Johannes Roberts (Storage 24, The Other Side of the Door, The Strangers: Prey at Night) did an excellent job in building tension and playing with the giving and taking away of hope. I didn’t care whether or not aspects of the movie were scientifically accurate – I was trapped on the sea floor with the sisters, and full of dread that monsters were lurking in the darkness nearby. It was haunting, and the feeling will likely stick with me for a while.

IMDb shows a listing for a sequel set to release in June 2018, currently titled 48 Meters Down, currently in pre-production. Roberts is set to direct this next installment, as well. The blurb indicates that it will focus on a group of cave divers, rather than revisit anyone from this story. I can’t wait to see it, and hope that it lives up to the precedent set by this movie.

In spite of the willies that the scenario in this film causes, I would gladly watch it again and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the shark genre.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 55%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 36%

Metascore - 52/100

Metacritic User Score – 4.9/10

IMDB Score – 5.7/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer: