Over the years, I have penned down several reviews of killer shark films since there appears to be no end to these stories. It is normal to anticipate a movie that would restore the glory that Jaws once held. However, it appears that Something In The Water (2024), directed by Hayley Easton Street, is not that movie. It is a good movie, but not perfect. The movie does not introduce many new ideas, but it does provide an entertaining killer shark film with an impressive cast, good visuals, and a few memorable moments. It’s not the best movie out there, but it is better than most.
In the film Something In The Water, we are introduced to an island wedding that features a group of five women who set out to a tropical location for their friend’s wedding. While the women are on an island-hopping trip, one of the guests is injured after being bitten by a shark, which leads to a pretty unfortunate situation. The women try to run back to the shore but do not have any luck and get stranded in the ocean due to bad weather. Terrifying, indeed!
Something In The Water is entertaining even if it isn’t anything great it is a notch above pathetic films like Shark Bait or The Requin, but the film is unable to reach the level of The Reef: Stalked.
The film surely stands out among the other films in the category or theme as there is no slow buildup and the scene goes straight into action, it makes a quick jump from 0 to 60. That strategy is effectively implemented in this case. I did not respond in the first place when things heated up because I thought it was a case of false alarm. However, I was quite overjoyed to see screenwriter Cat Clarke get to the main points of discussion. Overlooking the obligatory false alarm adds an element of surprise to the events. Yes, I do hope that that particular exchange does not prove to be a singular occurrence but as is, it is a refreshing change in the norm.
Lin McCarthy and John L. McCarthy shot it all and achieved stunning results. Another successful achievement is the location of the tropical island. In the first act, there are many impressive establishing shots that showcase the breathtaking environment. There are many good underwater shots that let us understand how defenseless these ladies really are. To look at their arms dangling out in the water like shark bait is to set up the audience for horrific visions later in the picture.
And to talk of the underwater shots, there’s a very graphic scene in the movie where the oceans have turned red with the blood of the characters present. The blood covers all the water and the edges of the frame are bright red in color.
That sequence is quite ruthless and has a certain artistic quality to it. The tonal interplay within the entire piece is that the discomfort of beauty is interlaced with tragedy.
The image does utilize rather sweeping, wide shots making the main characters appear to be mere dots in the overall scope of the ocean view. This, once again, serves to emphasize how exposed, quiet, and lonely these women actually are.
And in addition to the narrative, the movie isn’t that bad as it also has a few punch lines. Something in the Water does have some witty digs exchanged by the leads. Their friendship is the kind where fractures are unavoidable, which makes their harmony quite convincing. This element is rather critical when the film’s energy begins to taper off around the hour mark.
The running time of the feature is different in various sources around 80 minutes without the end credits. With the film being that short, it would be only natural to expect a sustained speed and rhythm throughout. But this certainly is not always the case. The tension is so high that one might pop. A drag is something I found toward the picture, several key points were drawn out and bore me out, thbut e climax of the situation did not arrive because it became all too melodramatic. We moved to petty issues for trickery.
The character dynamics breathe life into the picture, however, such a lull does have its effects on pacing.
Tonal changes that are abrupt but instantaneous in nature can be effective if the audience has been built up to believe that things can get any worse. Here, due to the fact that the lull goes on too long, the film never starts with the initial velocity of the first two acts. One or even more such close calls would have helped the viewers stay alert and on their toes closer to the end of the film.
What About The Shark?
If I may say so, I was quite annoyed by the sight of a shark twirling past the viewer during the dip of the narrative and didn’t quite know what I was supposed to hit such as a dead horse with a bat. Though there should be a shark and thus, more chaos, please, it simply swims away and then never comes into focus again. To make things worse, the second death that comes after the schism is that of a person who is slowly suffocating off-camera. That setup deserved better in terms of staging and tension building.
For the conclusion of the film, the tension level is increased but never really comes back from where it was lost in the first violent part of the sequence. To make the film work, the pacing of the third act in keeping the action and the focus should have been more effective.
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