‘The Shallows’ Perhaps Will Be Too Shallow

The Shallows’ tagline, Plan Your Getaway, may have more uses than intended. Viewing audiences might plan to leave the theater prior to the film credits.

 The Shallows stars Blake Lively as Nancy, a full-time college student who apparently is a pro surfer as well. One day, Nancy decides to surf at a secluded beach by the name of Paradise and soon meets, Carcharodon carcharias, a species of the Lamniformes family of sharks which is found in the coastal surface waters of all of the major oceans.

The Carcharodon carcharias is also classified as the white pointer, white death; and more commonly known as the Great White. Once this ensues, Nancy must attempt to survive long enough to reach dry land.

The following is a story-line synopsis retrieved from IMDB, that was written by Sony Pictures Entertainment:

"In the taut 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."

There’s either a shark in there or the water is really cold. (Img: Columbia Pictures)

The great white shark is one of four species of sharks that have been involved in a vast amount of unprovoked attacks on humans that turned fatal. As of 2016, There have been 314 unprovoked attacks on humans. 80 of which have been fatal; according to the I.S.A.F.

More from Horror Movies

• Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
• A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
• Pig Killer (2023): A morally ambiguous dive into shock cinema
• Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls: Demonically fun times
• Tobin Bell stars in new horror movie The Cello

The I.S.A.F., or the International Shark Attack File, was created in 1958 to record attacks on servicemen during World War II. The Office of Naval Research funded this file for a decade while developing a system for the collection of global shark attack accounts.

The file can now be found at the Florida Museum of Natural History, located within the University of Florida. “The file contains information on over 5,300 shark attacks and includes detailed, often privileged, information including autopsy reports and graphic photos. The file is accessible only to scientists whose access is permitted only by a review board.”

"“Realistically, almost any shark in the right size range, roughly six feet (1.8 meters) or greater, is a potential threat to humans because, even if a bite is not intended as a directed feeding attempt on a human, the power of the jaw and tooth morphology can lead to injury.”– George H. Burgess, American Elasmobranch Society, I.S.A.F."

 The Shallows is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (2009’s Orphan & 2005’s House of Wax). The screenplay was written by Anthony Jaswinski. Supporting cast includes Oscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen, and Sedona Legge. The film will be released on Friday, June 24, in a theater near you.

Next: Penny Dreadful Canceled By Showtime

What do you think? Does The Shallows have enough substance to not be a shallow movie that only appeals to children who have spent the last twelve years of their lives watching TV shows that contain the creativity of a ten year old on mushrooms; or will audiences actually care enough for Blake Lively’s character and her fight for survival? We will find out soon enough.

Comment below and return to 1428 Elm for your horror fix, you junkies.