Spoilers Alert:
Stayed for three years UNDERWATER – IT’S AWAKENED in 20th Century Fox’s poison cabinet. The distributor bought by the Disney company is now called 20th Century Studios and the underwater shocker was released in a few selected cinemas at the beginning of the year. We will reveal in our review whether this treatment of the film is justified.
Norah (Kristen Stewart) and Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel) are physically weak.
And while we’re at it: The set pieces used in “Underwater” from pretty much every (underwater) alien or monster film that has ever been released soon cause the viewer to feel tired. Be it classics like the “Alien” films (including many visual borrowings from “Prometheus”) or their countless freeloaders like “The Abyss” or the already mentioned “Life”: Nothing about “Underwater” feels new or innovative. Some shots are even reminiscent of those from the modern horror classic “The Descent”. Now all of these ingredients still don’t have to result in a bad film in the end. Especially if you are a fan base for such subgenres of horror films, you could definitely enjoy the entertaining ninety minutes, which feature an attractive creature design. But the makers don’t just stick to the path set out by the classics mentioned, they completely forego any of their own accents. They leave – and this is particularly annoying – the handwriting of the actually visionary director William Eubank unnoticed. The filmmaker can at least use his sense of atmosphere here, but you won’t find the technical gadgets with which Eubank, who also worked as a cameraman, was able to slow down and refine his previous films in “Underwater”.
“Especially anyone who is part of the fan base of such subgenres of horror films could definitely enjoy the entertaining ninety minutes, which feature an attractive creature design.”
Only when Kristen Stewart realizes the leak in the research station at the very beginning and Eubank visualizes the proverbial falling penny with a super slow motion shot do memories of what Eubank knew how to deliver on a visual level in his previous films come to mind. Maybe there will be more to see in his next work. He currently has two projects in the pipeline.
Conclusion: Despite the technically optimally exploited setting of an underwater research station, in “Underwater – It’s Awakened” not only the characters fall by the wayside, but also a film experience beyond “I’ve seen it before”. This is a shame, especially for William Eubank, whose strong handwriting is hardly apparent here.
“Underwater – It’s Awakened” is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and as a stream.
