By Hollie Harris
The Shallows
Rating: PG-13 (for bloody images, intense sequences of peril, and brief strong language)
Starring: Blake Lively
In the thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness and fortitude.
The Shallows transcends tired shark-attack tropes with nasty thrills and a powerful performance from Blake Lively.
For those who prefer survival dramas to be bare-bones and gritty, like Open Water, The Shallows may come across as the CW version. Its photogenic slickness does detract from its terror somewhat, but makes the film more marketable to different age groups and translates to a younger age group.
There aren’t a lot of gruesome moments in this flick – there are only a couple of shut-your-eyes moments for kids. If you don’t mind yours watching one or two blurred out bloody moments which are over in a flash, then the kiddos will love it. Especially if they are into surfing, there are some great surf scenes. It’s a fun flick for the older family and gives a few good jumps.
Not a life-changer or a chat-about-it-later flick, but a solid ‘Friday night with popcorn, turn it up and enjoy the ride’ pleaser.
Probably not for those under 10, those with a fear of the ocean, or the super squeamish, but lovers of Jaws flicks and tweens will love it.
