The Shallows (2016)

I love sharks! Especially Great Whites.

I’m not saying I’d want to take a swim with one but you know what I mean.

My obsession with sharks started I’m sure, like most people’s - the first time I watched Jaws when I was a little kid. I’ve been fascinated with them ever since!

I think it’s the idea that there are things out there that can actually eat us! We’re told by our parents growing up that monsters don’t exist, and although that’s in reference to the ones we believed were living under our beds, the ones that swim about in the ocean and have a mouth full of razor sharp teeth are very much real.

I once read that Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws said that if he’d known what damage his novel would do to the world’s shark population and people’s perception of them, he never would’ve written it. In fact, following the success of Jaws he spent much of his life working as an advocate for marine conservation.

This post isn’t about Jaws though, it’s about another great shark movie:

The Shallows (2016)

There have been a lot of shark movies over the years, some good, some bad and some downright awful!

The use of CGI rather than the big mechanical sharks they used in Jaws has helped to enhance the whole shark movie experience, but it has occasionally ruined it too.

The Shallows uses CGI, but also “implies” enough shark presence to make it one of the better shark movies of recent years.

If you haven’t seen it, it stars Blake Lively (The Age of Adaline) and this is what it’s about:

While surfing off a secluded beach a young woman (Blake Lively) is attacked by a Great White shark. Bleeding, she manages to take shelter on a rock a mere 200 yards from shore. With time ticking by and the incoming tide threatening to take away her only protection from the shark, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of her ingenuity, resourcefulness and fortitude.

This movie is tense! I watched it for the third time recently and I was still jumping and squirming in my seat even though I knew what was coming.

It only stars a few other actors but it’s predominantly Blake Lively on a rock (that would’ve been a good title actually). Despite the minimalist cast though this film does a great job of keeping things moving right up to the dramatic conclusion.

If you like shark movies, suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, you should definitely watch The Shallows. 👍

What shark movies do you recommend? 🤔🦈