Going surfing in Mexico on a beach that no one will tell you the name of, by yourself just seems like a bad idea, especially if you hardly speak Spanish. The Shallows continues what shark movies of the past have always told us, stay out of the water!
The Shallows stars Blake Lively as Nancy, a medical student who is in Mexico, searching for the beach that her mother once visited, so she can surf. Nancy's mom has died of cancer so Nancy feels she needs to get away from everything, so of course a secluded beach in Mexico is the perfect place to go. While Nancy is off in the ocean surfing, a shark attacks her but she is able to get away. Unfortunately she is stuck on a rock far from shore and high tide is only hours away. Nancy must find a way to get to shore without being eaten by this giant shark.
The premise of The Shallows is pretty basic and that's why it succeeds. It doesn't get weighed down by a bunch of side characters and various plot twists. Instead it's just Nancy on a rock trying to find a way to avoid this shark. Since it's just one person and one shark, the suspense just builds and builds as the movie goes on. If you see the trailer, you know certain things have to happen so at times I could guess where it would go next, but I still found myself at the edge of my seat, wondering when the shark would appear next.
For a movie like this to succeed you have to have a believable shark. I thought the shark in this movie looked incredible. It was never too cheesy and for the most part felt real. I always felt that Nancy was at danger instead of feeling like she was just up against a CGI shark. The only part where the shark felt fake was near the end, but it wasn't enough to ruin the movie for me.
With movies like The Shallows, you also have to go in knowing that things will happen that would never happen in real life. I highly doubt someone in Nancy's situation would be able to survive as long as she does. The fact that her character is a medical student was pretty convenient since it allowed her to attend to her wounds. With the size of the bite I can't image someone being able to swim the distance she has to to survive. There is another situation near the end of the movie where Nancy uses resources around her to avoid the shark and it was hard to believe that something like that would happen.
The Shallows can be unbelievable at times, but since this isn't a documentary I am okay with that. I found myself at the edge of my seat multiple times during the movie and enjoyed watching Nancy trying to get out of her predicament. The movie never felt long and was a fun ride. If you enjoy movies where one person has to survive harsh elements to survive then you won't be disappointed with The Shallows. I had a great time watching this movie.
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