The Shallows Analysis

Sharks have a long-standing place in the foundation of film history, right alongside aliens, masked killers, and haunted houses. For good reason, whenever a new shark-centric movie hits the market, it immediately garners comparison to Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, Jaws – a timeless classic that many regard as the origin of the summer popcorn flick.

Within the first five minutes of Jaws, a sense of worry and general unease filled the air – similar to the butterflies that attack your stomach before a large drop on a steep roller coaster. While Jaws isn’t necessarily branded a horror movie, per say, that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s one of the scariest movies ever conceived.

A little more than 40 years since the release of Jaws, no other Shark tale has managed to generate such nervousness and unease – until now, that is.

In The Shallows, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, Run All Night), Blake Lively stars as Nancy, a medical student that’s contemplating dropping out of school. After the death of her mother, Nancy decides to visit a secluded Mexican beach where her mother went to surf shortly after finding out that she was pregnant with Nancy.

The beach is a paradise –

However, the film is not without its flaws, the vast majority of which will be found embedded in the story – and have absolutely nothing to do with the gritty performance given by Blake Lively. For those wondering, The Shallows is no Jaws, but if you were to add the legendary John Williams musical score to this film, it’s easily a solid sequel, of sorts. In the end, it should be noted that very few scary movies have the ability to make me feel uncomfortable, let alone jump in my seat – but The Shallows admittedly accomplishes both of those feats. That said, if you’re typically entertained by scary, jaw-crushing thrills – this is a film you won’t want to