Underwater – ‘Alien’ (only underwater)


Imagine ‘Alien.’ Now imagine ‘Alien’ set under the sea.  There you have my entire plot summary of 2020’s ‘Underwater.’ I would say that ‘Underwater’ has to be one of the most unoriginal films ever created over recent times.  There is absolutely nothing to see here that you haven’t seen a hundred times before in various ‘post Alien’ sci-fi/horror movies.  That sounds like I’m ripping on the film, yet – amazingly – I actually quite enjoyed it.


Apparently, it was made in 2017 and sat on the shelf until 2020.  I guess I wasn’t expecting much and my expectations were at ‘absolute zero’ when I decided to watch it.  That’s probably a helpful way of watching it – don’t expect too much (and certainly don’t expect anything vaguely original).


I know it’s fashionable to hate on Kristen Stewart, but let’s not judge her on one franchise containing sparkling vampires.  She’s actually quite a capable actress and, although her performance as the lead role here won’t win her any Oscars, she does the job.  Plus the film does get right into things.  In the opening scene the underwater drilling facility begins to explode, causing a handful of survivors to try and find a way to make it all the way up from the bottom of the ocean to the surface.  And, as if that wasn’t difficult enough, there’s something out there waiting for them.


There’s not a huge cast which at least gives us the chance to get to know some of them before bad things really start to happen.  I thought Vincent Cassel certainly was the best among the supporting cast (even though I had a shrewd feeling I knew exactly what was going to happen to him and I was proved right).  However, Jessica Henwick just seemed absolutely wooden at all times.  I’d never really seen her in anything and thought she must be an American trying to put on a British accent.  After a quick check online I found she was British, meaning her accent sounds fake even to a native like me!


I know this is just a ‘glorified B-movie,’ but the special effects were actually pretty good.  Yes, most of the surroundings etc were computer generated, but because the environment was supposed to be murky anyway, the CGI wasn’t in any way noticeable.


As I’ve said, ‘Underwater’ provides absolutely nothing new for the genre, but when that’s a film’s only real flaw, it makes it worth a watch if you’re looking for something new in terms of a ‘monster-munching movie.’


7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that