‘Deep Water’ review – A fun shark movie diluted by its syrupy parts

A few weeks back, I started to review Netflix’s newest shark movie, Thrash. I kept stopping though, because there was really nothing to write about. It felt like such a non-movie. So, I eventually gave up and hoped Renny Harlin’s Deep Water would be easier to write about.

In short: yes, yes, it is a much easier movie to review. The only problem, however, is Deep Water is not a great movie. But that I can deal with, so long as there’s something substantial to critique. And in all honesty, I had more fun with Deep Water than Thrash.

Now before I get into what’s wrong, let’s start with the positives. Deep Water underlines the word “disaster” in the term “disaster movie” and, for the most part, leans into it. That I loved. The setup, a plane malfunctioning and crashing into the ocean, is a classic “what if” scenario that’s played out with total kitchen-sink energy. The entire crash sequence is easily the scariest thing about Deep Water. Once the movie slightly recalibrates and turns into a survival story, though, it doesn’t become unscary or dull. There are more than enough “edge of your seat” sort of moments to keep you engaged.

Harlin, who previously gave us the much beloved Deep Blue Sea, loves a ridiculous action sequence like it’s nobody’s business. And although here he doesn’t produce anything remotely as memorable as Samuel L. Jackson’s adieu in the aforementioned movie, he keeps our attention with plenty of shark action. Sadly, these scenes end before they can truly begin; but as a reminder, that refusal to stay on a suspenseful scene longer than a few seconds is a widespread problem. It’s not just Harlin who can’t commit to big and tense set-pieces anymore.

Now, where Deep Water nearly lost me is its surplus of sentimentality. For something that’s rated R, we sure do have a lot of sappy disruptions that feel more at home in an Angel Studios flick. From Aaron Eckhart’s traumatized character running away from his fatherly duties, to a sassy grandma later pouring her heart out, there are always these awkward “tell, not show” moments that get in the way of a potentially meaner movie. I will emphasize that last part because Harlin definitely doesn’t hold back whenever it comes time to add more chum to the water. A few of the deaths are telegraphed from the beginning, whereas most will be a tad surprising. Nonetheless, I wanted more carnage, not poorly written, syrupy slop. For this movie excels at action, not characters.

Deep Water doesn’t leave any noticeable bite marks once it’s over, and I myself would have preferred it be trimmed of its fluffier bits. As it is, though, and ignoring what looks like the producers pandering to certain international audiences, the movie turned out better than expected. After all, we’re talking about something that was salvaged from a cancelled sequel, and was made in part by KISS’ Gene Simmons. This could have ended up way worse, is all I’m saying.

Deep Water opens in theaters on May 1.