Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
47 Meters Down is an action horror picture that stars Mandy Moore, Matthew Modine, and Claire Holt and is directed by Johannes Roberts. It is the story of Lisa and Kate who while on vacation go on a boat outing to see sharks up close in a diving cage. When the chain breaks both sisters are trapped 47 meters down, surrounded by hungry sharks with precious little air.
Under The Lens: Script and Acting
Script: Pictures of this nature are not known for their scripts, and while this one does suffer from basic problems, it does, however, find creative ways to move the story along. This type of closed in narrative could have been boring and predictable, however, despite cheesy dialogue, the script finds ways to move our divers out of the cage and into the open ocean. This ups the scares and jumps, while also allowing for a change in scenery. This took a basic premise and upped the stakes to keep the viewer interested.
Acting: This picture made good use of its actors and actresses and allowed them to explore their characters resulting in more fully formed persons. I found that I actually cared about what happened to them and was feeling the hope and despair as they did. As stated above the script’s dialogue was basic at best, so the weight of the picture was fully on the actors and actresses themselves. Matthew Modine had a brief role that was mostly voice work, however, he was good as the salty Captain. The focus for the last two-thirds of the picture is solidly on Claire Holt and Mandy Moore, and this is for the best as they both put a lot of effort into their characters. The acting is primarily done with looks and facial expressions through the masks, and for the most part, it works well.
Highlights
The picture turns on its head the classic trope of the clueless friend being the first to die, as we see that Moore’s character ends up being the one to make it out alive.
The sharks while the primary threat is kept veiled and in the background.
The picture’s director was able to make the budget look much larger then it was.
Something to think about
What would you do if you were stuck in this situation?
Conclusion
47 Meters Down is one of the rare horror pictures that has decent direction, is well-acted and scary without resorting to cheap thrills. Claire Holt and Mandy Moore anchor the picture and provide a higher quality of acting then most horror pictures tend to provide. Overall 47 Meters Down is a fun ride that never leads up for a moment until the final shocking twist is revealed.
