Director: Johannes Roberts (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR, STORAGE 24)
Writers: Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR).
Director of Photography: Mark Silk (Underwater director of photography for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, TABOO TV Series.)
89 Minutes
Gringas Kate (Claire Holt) and Lisa (Mandy Moore). Photo credit: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Two gringas, sisters, sort of cute, sort of sexy – one intrepidly macho compared to her whiny sister who can’t get over her unceremonious dumping by a callous ex – are having a sunny bivouac at a resort in a Mexican Rivera where they meet up with two local, olive-skin Mexican cuties (male, of course), who persuade the gringas to go on a water-cage-sharking expedition.
The gringas decide it might help Tepid Sis discover her true inner chi that can free her from the clutches of her self-imposed psychological cage regarding her ex.
That’s about it for the first part of the movie, give or take 30 minutes of gorgeous scenic resort shots with chaste drinking, dancing and smooching by the two locals and the gringas. Very pretty but not much sex appeal here. Part 1 Rating is *star because the first 30 minutes or so remind me of the half-hour hokum of a Syfy Channel-esque shark-barracuda-piranha-crocodile-alligator movie.
[Click here to see other terrifying killer, human snacking fish.]
Kate and Lisa suit-up with the help of Captain Taylor (Matthew Modine). Photo credit: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Part 2 is the beast you really want – **** stars, the reason that you will plunk down your moola at a time when ticket prices can be more loathsome than any seagoing predators with big, big teeth (and appetites primarily for seal but won’t shy away from occasional hors d’oeuvres of human arms, legs, heads). After the gringas begin their descent in the cage, it’s like the collective cinematic moxie of Director Johannes Roberts, Co-writer Ernest Riera, and Cinematographer Mark Silk – all savvy veterans of previous action-adventure gems – explodes into turbocharge.
Recall, if you may, the JAWS (1975) cage scene of oceanographer Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss. The cage scenes of 47 METERS DOWN have a fear factor of 10x that one.
Photo credit: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Repeat: Part 2 is a savvy, rip snorting, truly scary and imaginative 59 minutes of terror when the director, writer and cinematographer unleashed their collective chi and things go bump, bump, bump at 47 meters. [The filmmakers should be forgiven for “borrowing” their denouement from GRAVITY starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.]
Gregg Morris can be reached at gmorris@hunter.cuny.edu
