Have you ever watched a movie and right from the opening credits you felt like you had seen it before? Like Déjà vu. Then when you try and remember what those other movies are, you can’t. You swore that you’ve seen that before. Maybe you’re stuck in a bad time loop like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Just instantly forgettable movies. Spoiler alert, that’s how I felt with Underwater. The film opens up on a montage of newspaper clippings and documents of a company called Tian Industries. Just the way that it was set-up, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling – I’ve seen this before. I don’t know where I’ve seen it before but I’ve definitely seen this before. The fact that I can’t even remember where I’ve seen this before is probably evidence of what kind of movie, I’m getting ready to get myself into.
Underwater tells the story of a group of scientists drilling into Mariana Trench. Only in doing so, they awake a new (or ancient – depending on how you look at it) species. If you’ve seen the poster for the film, chances are you know what the film’s about. Even following Déjà vu, the opening to this film is jarring. It literally just drops you into the action and then settles itself down rather quickly. The opening sequences of destruction set the film’s pace rather quickly into the film. The only catch being it never quite keeps that pace. Its action packed and fast in one moment and attempting to be tender in the next. The pacing just feels sloppy. In that pacing, the storytelling feels just as sloppy. The film is bookmarked rather nicely but still feels shallow. Every attempt at emotion falls flat. Every attempt at humor feels forced.
For as dim as Underwater’s subject matter can be, it does try and interject humor throughout. Though the source of said banter comes from T.J. Miller. Miller feels out of place within the larger scope of the film. I often wonder if the original script from Brian Duffield & Adam Cozad actually included Miller’s portion. Miller, most of the time, feels like he’s adlibbing. Adlibbing can work in the right context, but Underwater is not that context. The rest of the cast which includes Kirsten Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr & Mamoudou Athie are fine. There is no serious performance that stands above anyone else. The cast as a whole occupies the space of the film.
The basic journey of the characters throughout the film is to escape said threat. Unlike the film’s threat bound to the depths of the sea – this story has no depth. It is a strongly generic, paint by number science fiction film that borders upon the tropes of horror. Remember that scene from Scream where Jamie Kennedy is explaining the rules of horror? Underwater doesn’t. The film breathes hardcore into the tropes of horror. When it finally comes time to reveal the big threat of the film, it approaches the subject in the vein of Bird Box or 2014’s Godzilla. Leaving a finale film that is boring and flat.
Overall, Underwater, is just another generic film in the Sci-Fi genre. The film’s pacing can never quite walk straight. The cast, while not terrible, feel mediocre. T.J. Miller feels completely out of tone with the rest of the film. Trying his best to serve as comic relief but never quite reaching the right note for comedy. The story is paint by numbers science fiction. The horror feels generic and forced. When it finally tries to lean into the horror side of its story it is filled with tropes and bad decisions. What should be an edge of your seat movie is forgettable, boring and contrived. Underwater could drown as one of the worst 2020 has to offer.
RORSCHACH RATING:
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Music by Beggars. Underwater is property of Twentieth Century Fox. We do not own nor claim any rights.