Something in the Water

Ridiculous premise from the outset.

It is like an Enid Blyton novel, 'Five Diverse Babes Go lesbian Relationship Counselling At Sea'. What could possibly go wrong?

Obviously, the film is low budget and in this case, it shows.

The direction is basic. The script divests you of feeling for the protagonists whose characterisation is quite two dimensional.. The plot is ridiculous and written with stupid characters making stupid decisions and written by people who have no idea about shark behaviour.

Although I did say it was low budget there are some drone and cityscape establishing shots but I have no idea what relevance they have to the main part of the story.

'I can't pee, if you are looking at me'.......they are all stranded in the water at sea. Laugh out loud funny. Very nearly 'Showgirls, so bad it's good' bad.

"Something in the water" looked different enough from all the other shark movies we've had in the past. Its a British "open water" with more characters. So in some ways was more interesting and could do more. But does it sink or swim? Unfortunately it sinks.

The movies just not very good. Most of the characters are more annoying than the screamy girl from "Jaws 2," and there are alot of unlikely things said or done in the movie. The order of deaths and when they happen is also mostly predictable.

But there are a couple of decent moments in there, and the CGI is used sparingly. But this is probably because its bad when it starts to get used more toward the end.

This film had promise from the trailer (albeit with a story lacking any sense of originality but that's fine - sometimes we just want a good shark film).

The strength in this film is with how it doesn't show the shark to start with, other than a fin. A page taken from Jaws' playbook but, when that fin "looks" to do a handbrake turn when the shark senses blood, we know we're in trouble and everything is about to go downhill... And it does.

The over head shots of the shark in the water are okay but the constant - shark lunging for victim - shots are some of the worst CGI I've seen. But this isn't the worst thing about this film. That "accolade" goes to the acting and stupid script.

Example of script:

Women in water, shark circling them. They panic (fair).

One of them cracks a "joke" about dying from a shark attack in Manchester due to global warming. The women start to laugh whole-heartedly. THERE IS A SHARK CIRCLING YOU AND ONE OF YOU IS BLEEDING TO DEATH!!!!

I could say more but honestly, I'm annoying I wasted 86 minutes of my life on this. Give it a skip and remember the name of those who made this atrocity so you can avoid future work too. It's THAT bad.

This film was absolutely fine, but don't be expecting anything new... you won't find it here. I liked the characters, they had a strong friendship and on the whole they behaved fairly sensibly. The actresses did a fine job. And the setting is beautiful. So that's all good!

The problem is that we've seen it all before... it's very predictable and that's a real shame. There also isn't enough shark/s in my opinion- which unfortunately makes it a pretty tame watch.

It's one of those movies that you'll watch once and that's it. Definitely doesn't compare to the likes of The Shallows or even 47 Metres Down.

I usually enjoy shark movies, and even when they are bad, which most of them are, I can typically find a few enjoyable aspects in them. "Something in the Water" initially seemed promising despite its low rating, but I decided not to let that influence me.

The movie tells the story of five women who meet because of a wedding. Before the big day, they decide to have an adventure and sail out to a deserted island in a small boat. Early on, the main character and her ex-girlfriend, who no longer get along due to a violent assault they suffered in the opening scene, are left alone on another part of the island. The other women justify leaving them there by saying they need to work through their differences and rebuild their friendship.

Our protagonist is traumatized by the assault and continues to struggle with the trauma daily, a trope that feels overused and fails to generate sympathy. Instead, it creates a protagonist who is difficult to root for. In fact, most of the characters are unlikeable, and this only worsens as the movie progresses.

The women eventually reunite and go swimming in shallow water. The first shark attack is laughably bad, with unrealistic execution and awkward acting that makes the scene feel uncomfortable and strange. The lack of gore in these moments robs the film of any sense of real threat.

Soon, the five characters are stranded in the ocean with a sunken boat and a persistent shark that refuses to leave them alone. While I can suspend disbelief about the shark's relentless behavior, since it is necessary for the plot, the constant poor decisions made by the characters are impossible to ignore. This makes them even more annoying and unlikable.

The movie is also highly unrealistic, and the shark's behavior becomes increasingly absurd as the story progresses. Ultimately, the film has little to offer beyond its basic premise, which could have been enjoyable if not for the poor decisions, irritating characters, and implausible scenarios.

On the positive side, the shark effects are decent, and the overall production value seems solid. These elements show that the movie had potential, which makes its failure even more disappointing. [4,0/10]