Underwater (2020) Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A mining crew working at the bottom of the Mariana Trench must contend with sea monsters as they escape to the surface.

Review: To put a few things into perspective: "Underwater" has bombed--hard--setting up all kinds of puns based on the title. A HUGE reason for this failure is using Kristen Stewart in what little marketing there was. Nobody wants to see her looking like a more manly version of Justin Bieber at the bottom of the ocean. I think what could have helped a little would have been to showcase more of Jessica Henwick in the marketing instead; she's more talented, beautiful, and audiences have noticed her popping up in all the big geek franchises like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and the Marvel Netflix shows. Alas, we get Bieber instead. With that said, "Underwater" is a pretty damn good creature feature. Oh, sure, it feels like a ton of other things like "Leviathan," for example, which was already a derivative of "Alien." Yet, these similarities don't really matter since the tale of "Underwater" is entertaining and presented well. Ms. Stewart is surprisingly decent in this role, and the story offers up some fun set pieces.

First I want to acknowledge that so many plot synopses for this film list it as being about "a research crew." Okay, maybe some of the characters are researchers, but it's critical to the plot that this is a MINING operation. The premise is that something has been awakened by this mining, and that whole reactor powering everything is like a big ass plot point you can't ignore. Oh well. Moving along...the setup is pretty cool with most of the crew getting killed immediately by the immense ocean pressure after their base is compromised. The only way the few survivors can get out alive is to actually walk along the ocean floor to a different part of the base that is miles away. As you come to realize, the breaches to the base were caused by glorified sea monsters. You could say they're mermaid-esque but you can feel that xenomorph inspiration. Of course, the characters get picked off as they navigate the dark ocean floor while contending with obstacles and these creatures. I'll admit that the filmmakers do a good job with the pacing and the kills since you can't really tell when someone will bite the dust. I mean, when the one guy blows up from the pressure caught me off guard. After much struggle, the remaining characters come face to face with what can only be described as Cthulhu! Again, you knew there would be a giant monster of some sort, but the way they integrate the human-sized monsters with this big guy was interesting. The ending is typical Hollywood bullshit, yet, I'm glad my girl Ms. Henwick made it out alive.

What works here is the environment presented. It's dark, the characters can die to virtually anything, and they're facing overwhelming forces. This isn't original by any means, but the filmmakers capitalize on their setup and introduce many situations and obstacles that test the characters; hell, if the filmmakers can get me to care about Ms. Stewart's character after enduring her "acting" in "Twilight" then I have to show respect. Furthermore, the monsters are nothing special, but them being almost like fleas or minions or whatever to Cthulhu was a nice idea. Finally, I need to reiterate that Ms. Henwick was a major highlight and should have been cast as the lead.

As for the faults...one word: contrived. Most audiences will ignore these things, but I was getting slightly annoyed numerous times. Back to that reactor plot device...this is supposedly making the water warm enough that they can walk for miles without freezing? Maybe the suits had futuristic insulation. I'm okay with the monsters being super strong despite the crushing depth, however, I'm not okay with one coming into a climate controlled tunnel and being perfectly fine. How is it able to just shift between the pressure without dying? How is it breathing? This moment made me want to throw my popcorn. Yeah, it works as a cool scare with the flashing red light and the creature walking into it, but how is it even walking in the first place? Then there is the idea that Cthulhu is swimming around destroying everything, but is simply sitting by the last base until the main characters show up? Well that's awfully convenient. There are plenty more, like what food supply could possibly be sustaining these creatures, but I think you get the gist of the contrivances.

Despite the flaws, "Underwater" is a fun and entertaining movie that hits the right beats that you'd want from a creature feature; there are surprises, elaborate set pieces, and you get that big payoff by the end. Enhancing things are decent enough characters performed well by the players. The pacing is on point, and the music was solid too. The only real detriments are in regard to many ideas and situations feeling contrived, however, the average audience probably won't care about most of these details. While it's a shame that "Underwater" failed so spectacularly at the box office, it should make for great rental material without a doubt.

Notable Moment: When that Cthulhu monster appears. Fantastic introduction even if nonsensical that it would just be standing there doing nothing until the main characters approach.

Final Rating: 6.5/10