The Shallows (2016)

A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer:

Anthony Jaswinski

Stars:

Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo

1 win & 15 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Blake Lively	...	Nancy
Óscar Jaenada	...	Carlos
Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo	...	Surfer
Joseph Salas	...	Surfer (as Jose Manuel Trujillo Salas)
Brett Cullen	...	Dad
Sedona Legge	...	Chloe
Pablo Calva	...	Boy
Diego Espejel	...	Intoxicated Man
Janelle Bailey	...	Mom
Ava Dean	...	Young Nancy
Chelsea Moody	...	Young Mom
Sully Seagull	...	Sully 'Steven' Seagull (as Sully 'Steven' Seagall)

Storyline

In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.

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Plot Keywords:

shark attack | shark | great white shark | trapped | woman in jeopardy | 

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Taglines:

Plan your getaway.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG - 13 for bloody images, intense sequences of peril, and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Blake Lively came up with the name "Steven Seagull." Producer Matti Leshem noted "she really made her own relationship with Sully. There's a moment in the film where she's fixing his broken wing and the bird really bit her. I would say that relationship was complex in the sense that there was a lot of love there and they really bonded, but there were moments that you could see Sully really lashing out. Obviously she was trying to help him, but I think the complexity and deep emotional bond that they have between them is what makes this movie great."

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Goofs

Although the film is set in Mexico, the seagulls (including Nancy's companion) are Silver Gulls, endemic to Australasia.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carlos: [looks at photo] Is that you on the beach?
Nancy: Oh, no, no, that's my, that's my mom.

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Crazy Credits

As himself, Steven "Sully" Seagull.

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Connections

Featured in Shooting in 'The Shallows' (2016)

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Soundtracks

Bird Set Free
Written by Sia (as Sia Furler) and Greg Kurstin (as Gregory Kurstin)
Performed by Sia
Courtesy of Monkey Puzzle Records/RCA Records
End credits.
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Watchable - Just.

It's difficult to write a review about a shark movie whilst not comparing it to a certain "we need a bigger boat" classic. It certainly doesn't come close to that particular film - it's watchable; but that's about it in my opinion.

The Shallows is unfortunately one of those movies which, once you have seen the trailers, you've pretty much seen the entire film. There's not a huge story-line involved... yes, there's the main character (Blake Lively - who is also very beautiful) coming to terms with her own past and decisions she's made.

I felt that once the story got going, everything slowed down to a standstill; and I'm afraid to say that I started feeling bored - far from what I expected after seeing the trailers and hype.

I'm not saying The Shallows is a bad movie - Blake does a decent job, the CGI/shark scenes/SFX are more believable than most films in this 'genre', and the acting isn't anything to complain about. Where The Shallows loses stars (for me) is just the fact that the story-line is very limited - it's more of a psychological survival battle than a hunter/prey type movie.

To sum up - The Shallows is worth a watch. I wouldn't put it up there with the 'classic', but nor would I put it down with some of the worst shark movies I've tried to watch (you know the ones). Location and atmosphere all work (would probably be difficult to do a shark movie that didn't involve the sea tho' - although it's being done in one of those crazy ones!). I was very much looking forward to this film; am just a little disappointed there wasn't more to it - jump scenes, shark scenes and perhaps a slightly better story line.

Finally...I wouldn't be surprised if Steven Seagull gets his own movie next year!

Overall: 5/10... Not the best... but far from the worst.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 June 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shallows

Filming Locations:

Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,800,868, 26 June 2016

Gross USA:

$55,124,043

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$119,100,758

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Weimaraner Republic Pictures, Ombra Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1