GeekdomMOVIES Review: Underwater (2020) – In Depth Non Spoiler & Spoiler Talk

Underwater (2020) Review

This Film Achieves A Distressing Tone Immediately, And Refuses To Let Go For The Duration Of Its 95 Minute Runtime. Thanks To An Eerie Atmosphere, Anxiety Inducing Camera Work, The Movie Is Elevated Above Surface-Level Plot. Reminiscent Of Films Like Alien and Jaws

A smart, fast-paced little horror movie that never bogs down with exposition or unnecessary lore dumps, instead trusting its audience to follow along and leave questions that never needed answering alone.

Where other recent creature features have bogged themselves down trying to justify the existence of the monster (LIFE comes to mind), UNDERWATER instead opts to simply provide the monsters as a fait accompli. There is no attempt to even explain the monsters existence. The answer doesn’t matter. There are monsters from the deep and the characters just have to deal with that.

Kristen Stewart turns in a tense performance as character who is both extremely damaged and fragile, and paradoxically tough as nails (Reminiscent of Ripley in ‘Alien’) as someone who would survive in such a situation.

CAUTION SPOILERS AHEAD

Although they remain hidden for most of the film, Underwater’s primordial monsters were clearly designed with H.P. Lovecraft in mind.

Cthulhu makes it’s first theatrical debut.

A mysterious, maddening, and downright dangerous. The mere sight of one is nearly enough to drive Emily out of her mind during their first encounter. Going further in detail would broach spoiler territory, but these devils of the depths induce terror with every appearance.