Underwater

Dir. William Eubank (2020)

A crew of researchers tries to escape after an earthquake devastates their deepwater facility in the Mariana Trench.

Directed by William Eubank and starring Kristen Stewart, TJ Miller, Vincent Cassell, and Jessica Henwick, Underwater tells a story about a group of deep sea drillers who come across much more than your average sea life when they are forced to evacuate their current drill site.

I really liked this film. It has strong elements of Alien and The Descent, with some pretty strong Lovecraftian creatures scattered throughout. Speaking of films like Alien, this one also has outstanding set pieces. This definitely wasn't a low-budget affair. Yes, there is a lot of CGI throughout, but the practical sets are pretty spectacular.

So is the cinematography. For a film where a vast majority of the action takes place in the pitch black, nothing is ever too hard to make out or see. I also really liked the cast. Personally, I'm not the biggest K-Stew fan, but she did an admirable job here. Also, as a self diagnosed super fan of French films, I mean, has casting Vincent Cassell ever been wrong? That guy is a fuckin powerhouse! He literally just outshines everyone in every scene. He's actually what drew me to watch this after 4 years of passing it up.

And I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger. It actually has a lot of really tense moments. It was frightening, BECAUSE it was so open, like being stranded at sea, and at the same time extremely claustrophobic while navigating narrow underwater tunnels. So, I applaud that effort. It ticks off many boxes on my horror checklist, and I can't really say anything negative about any of it. Kinda wished I'd have seen it earlier. If, for no other reason, for Vincent Cassell's appearance. Don't make my mistake. Stream it now on Tubi.