Shark-infested waters (Into The Blue (DVD))

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Into The Blue (DVD)
Date:	26/05/08 (140 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Visually stunning, reasonable plot

Disadvantages: Underwater shots sometimes a bit dull

When treasure hunters Sam and Jared, and their friends Amanda and Bryce uncover a possible wreck and hidden treasure, in the Bahamas, they are delighted. Even better, they discover a submerged plane nearby, packed full of drugs. Thinking they have made their fortunes, they agree to share the profits, although Sam and Jared are less than keen on the drug side of the bargain. Then Amanda and Bryce taken matters into their own hands by negotiating with a dangerous drug lord. But once the drug lord and his men know where the drugs are, all four are in danger of losing their lives. Will they be able to stay long enough to uncover the hidden treasure? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Jessica Alba is probably the draw that attracts most people to this film. She spends a lot of time in skimpy bikinis and does look absolutely amazing. However, I think there is more to her than that. As Sam, she gives a very convincing performance as the sensible one of the group. She is well aware of the consequences of becoming involved with drugs and it is only after immense pressure that she gives in. Whereas this was hardly the performance of a life-time, it is a solid one and I think she more than proved she is capable when it comes to acting. She certainly knocked the spots off co-star Ashley Scott (Amanda), although, to be fair, Scott didn't have that much to work with - all that was asked of her was to look good and act stroppy.

Jared is played by Paul Walker, an actor about whom I know very little, although he has appeared in a number of films, including The Fast and the Furious. Although I've read quite a lot of criticism about his acting, I thought he was good in the role, particularly when pushed to the limits - his anger at their predicament was particularly convincing. Scott Caan (son of James) is even better as Bryce. A high-flying lawyer, he is used to getting his own way and is totally obnoxious about it. I really hated him, so he must have done a good job. Josh Brolin appears in the film as Jared's rival - a man intent on beating him to the treasure. He doesn't have enough screen-time to be able to do anything special, but I thought he was more than adequate in the role.

There is something about the sea that commands my respect, and as such, I find any movies that are filmed in or under the water make me feel claustrophobic. Much of this film is underwater, and, although visually very beautiful - there are some amazing shots of fish and sharks - I found it to be very creepy; far more so than some of the horror films that I have watched recently. From that point of view, I thought that this film was actually quite good. The plot isn't the best, but combined with the atmosphere that the underwater scenes created, this film becomes a thriller that appealed to me and I found it far more watchable than I was expecting. Towards the end when the characters are either underwater or being chased by the bad guys, there was certainly more than enough action to keep me occupied.

There is a lot of violence in this film. The rating of 15 is, I think, necessary - people are attacked with axes, shot at, beaten and attacked by sharks and once it starts, it doesn't really stop. At nearly two hours, the film is a little long and I was starting to get fidgety towards the end - a good edit would have put paid to that. I watched it at home on my small television screen, but I can imagine that the violence, combined with the beautiful underwater shots, would be particularly effective on a big cinema screen. This is definitely not one for the weak-stomached though.

My only real criticism of the film is the end. It was very abrupt, which was a shame, because I thought the chase scenes that led up to it could have done with being shorter so that the ending could have been better developed. To be honest, though, that is a minor complaint and, although this isn't an outstanding film, I found it very entertaining and would probably quite happily sit down and watch it again some time soon. I think that anyone who enjoys a good thriller/action film will find it entertaining too. Recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 110 minutes

Summary: Nothing outstanding, but still entertaining