About the film (courtesy of 20th Century Fox):
A crew of underwater researchers must scramble to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory.
Before I even get into this short review for Underwater starring Kristen Stewart, let’s all remember that we are still in the beginning of January. And by that I mean we are in prime of studio off-load season. I’m guessing 20th Century Fox was pulling their hair out trying to find somewhere that this movie could somehow break even.
It’s crazy to me to read that Underwater had an estimated budget of 80 million dollars. Its director, William Eubank, isn’t exactly a household name, having only having only directed two films prior to this one (Love (2011), The Signal (2014)) which had a combined budget of a tenth of what he was awarded for his two works. Did I mention that both lost a good deal of cash once the final numbers were tallied? Speaking from the perspective of someone who had yet to see the movie, why 20th Century Fox would bet heavy on Eubank and Stewart is beyond me.
Underwater starts off pretty quickly with decent potential only to bottom out as the plot attempts to go deeper. Kristen Stewart is back to her basic brooding monotone self, proving that her performance in last year’s Charlie’s Angels (2019) was indeed an anomaly. Joining Stewart are Vincent Cassel, John Gallagher Jr., Jessica Henwick and it also marks the return of T.J. Miller (kind of, sort of since this was technically filmed before is scandalous behavior hit the public eye) after a brief hiatus of over a year. Upon looking at the cast as a whole, there’s not much to be overly excited about. These feelings are validated over its 95 minute runtime. I’m not implying anyone was a bad actor or anything, the overall experience just left a feeling of indifference.
Most of the film’s budget had to have been dedicated to its effects. While they were decent, there isn’t anything that sticks out and shines. The events that follow the “earthquake” mentioned in the above synopsis gave a perfect opportunity to give audiences an opportunity for something special, instead Underwater plays it safe by being just like every other movie in this particular sub-genre leaving audiences feeling indifferent.
There’s enough in all of the parts, collectively speaking, to provide some mild entertainment. There are even a couple of decent jump-scare moments and others that will make you smile, usually thanks to T.J. Miller. Underwater will not be a box office darling and will probably be forgotten about in the next few weeks. Still though, it’s not unwatchable and provides some light intensity and a few thrills. Check out this weekend while it’s still in theaters…especially since it probably won’t be around long. This makes for a perfect January movie.
