DEEP WATER -- SHARKS ON A PLANE

Review by Steve Barton II

The disaster movie has been a staple of the Hollywood system since the birth of the genre with 1933’s Deluge. Since then, we’ve had countless additions to the genre, each making slight adjustments to the already proven formula. Director Renny Harlin has made previous appearances in the genre, even creating a cult classic with 1999’s Deep Blue Sea. After 27 long years, Harlin makes his triumphant return to the thrilling genre with Deep Water. The film follows Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley as a pair of commercial pilots flying over the Pacific Ocean when they are forced to make an emergency landing in the water. After the chaotic descent, they quickly discover that their nightmare has only just begun.
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After sitting through the newest Strangers trilogy over the past few years from Harlin, seeing his name attached to a new movie was equally surprising and unexpected. He’s proven himself in the past with films like Die Hard 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, but his career since the 1990s has been a series of critical and box office failures. With Deep Water, Renny had the opportunity to make a spiritual sequel to one of his last big successes and did so well. He nails all of the beats needed in this style of film with brief character development to get the audience invested, just before the ripcord is pulled and the chaos ensues!

One of the best aspects of Deep Water is how thrilling and terrifying the plane crash scene is. The slow build into the outright disaster was brilliant and the bloody violence was a shocking, yet welcome, addition to the experience. The editing was quick and jarring at times, but it elevates the tension filled scene to new bounds. While some of the digital blood and injuries looked bad, a few looked extremely realistic and may induce a bit of involuntary squirming in your theater seat. Any seasoned veteran of this genre will be delighted to see a couple twists to the plot from what could’ve been just another plane crash movie. Even if you’ve seen the marketing material, the shark's first appearance (and several afterward) are still shocking and bring thrills. The musical score from Fernando Velázquez also aided in the tension, certainly paying homage to John Williams’ incredible work in Jaws.

While Sir Ben Kingsley may be the biggest name on the cast, Deep Water is Aaron Eckhart’s movie. Aaron may not be the best emotional actor whose tears make the audience’s eyes rain, but he does kick ass in the action moments and drives up the intense drama. In Deep Water, Eckhart portrays a father who has dealt with trauma and you believe him when he sees the lost children on his flight and he rises to the hero’s action. Kingsley is an incredible scene partner for Aaron with his subtle humor and mentoring him into becoming the hero they all need.

Deep Water may not be the next huge hit in Harlin’s catalog, it’s a fun ride that could reach a cult following with genre fans. While folks may be focused on Aaron Eckhart the whole time, Angus Sampson steals every scene he’s in with his douchebag antics that make him anyone’s least desirable row-mate on a plane. His continuous cigarette gag felt like a bit from a 90's movie and it fit perfectly. The one-dimensional characters, cheese ball dialogue mixed with the insane visuals and thrill ride of a story makes for a fun ride at the movies.

Deep Water bursts into theaters starting May 1st! 

RATING: 3.5/5