Jaws really screwed up humanity. I mean, we’ve always had monster stories, but Jaws gave sharks a terrifying reputation, one that’s so universal that even landlocked kids like me would jump in a pool and immediately hear the John Williams score in our heads. We knew to fear sharks as if it were instinct, and it was a captivating thrill.
And so we get shark attack movies. They’re usually dumb exercises in horror/thriller clichés, but lots of us have a soft spot for one or two of them (mine is Deep Blue Sea). The Shallows looks like it’s following in those footprints, with Blake Lively trouncing around in a bathing suit and blood coloring the crystal-clear water. It’s offering violence and sexuality, and at least it’s not pretending to be anything else.
Lively is an actress that got a lot more interesting to me and many other people after her affecting turn in last year’s The Age of Adaline. This is an entirely different kind of movie, but it looks like she’ll be the lone human in this mano a mano battle with a great white. Without Adaline under her belt, I’d be way more skeptical about her ability to carry a film solo.
Leading her through this genre foray is seasoned director Jaume Collet-Serra. With experience in both thrillers (Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night) and horror (Orphan), it seems like the picture is in solid hands. Granted, none of these are creature-features, but it won’t be hard to get people afraid of a massive shark.
Nothing about this trailer looks particularly smart, but that’s not really the point. As long as it clips along and doesn’t get too serious, this will be perfectly satisfying to those wanting a good genre exercise. It’ll get bonus points if it’s silly enough to let the shark turn on an oven.
The Shallows is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Blake Lively. It will be released in the U.S. on June 29th, 2016 and in the U.K. on August 12th, 2016. For international release dates, click here.
Do you think this will lean silly or keep things tense? Let us know in the comments!
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