Because of my love for sharks—thanks to Jaws—I anticipated The Shallows with excitement. Initially, the preview made me think the film would be more like 127 Hours than Jaws: a solitary person, isolated on a rock and trapped just a short distance from shore in shark-filled waters. Most films about sharks adhere strictly to the Jaws blueprint: A swimmer is attacked, someone with authority decides beaches should close, a higher power blocks that decision, more deaths occur, and then our hero must confront the creature. However, The Shallows offered a fresh perspective on this familiar story. The initial portion of the movie felt similar to Open Water, building tension through restraint. Then, the shark unexpectedly bursts onto the screen for brief moments, abruptly shifting the film into a fast-paced thriller. Ultimately, though the shark is central to the plot, those scenes involving it were less compelling. I found myself more invested in Blake Lively and that seagull; she was likable, believable in her survival situation, and I genuinely hoped for her success. There were instances when The Shallows created a suspenseful atmosphere reminiscent of Hitchcock’s work—we knew the shark was present, but couldn't see it. Once it appeared, though, the tension vanished immediately. Some parts felt small and personal, akin to an independent production, and those segments proved to be the strongest aspects. It almost seemed as if the director intended to combine a suspenseful stalking movie with elements of survivalism, and that combination worked for me. But I thought the shark-related action was excessive. It created an unbalanced feel; at times it felt like a suspenseful stalker film mixed with survivalism, then suddenly transformed into an overblown summer blockbuster. It suggested a disagreement between the director and producer. The shark sequences seemed forced into the narrative and didn’t align with the overall tone. That's this movie's biggest weakness. Yes, the shark needed to be present and dangerous, but its presentation should have matched the film’s atmosphere. At one point, the shark consumes three people within roughly an hour? The setup suggested a smaller, more intimate film—something akin to The Blair Witch Project or Open Water—but what we received was closer to Friday the 13th. The movie could have been considerably better by being simpler. Less is not always worse. To be fair, The Shallows could have easily been much worse. What worked, did so effectively; with some creative direction, those elements alone might have sustained the film. Unfortunately, excessive violence and sensationalism overshadowed suspense and inventive storytelling, diminishing The Shallows from something special to merely a “good” movie. The scenery was beautiful, and experiencing it in 4K HD on a large screen was quite impressive.

Source on TMDB