Director: Andrew Traucki
Year: 2022
Country: Australia/USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks
Plot:
Trying to honor her deceased sister, a woman joins her friends on a rafting trip to the spot where they used to fish together only for the group to be stalked and terrorized by a Great White Shark throughout the trip forcing them to find a way to battle the shark to get away alive.
Review:
Overall, this was a solid if still somewhat disappointing follow-up. Much like the original, about the only thing that works here is the constant influx of attacks shown throughout here as there's far more activity involving the creature than before. The scenes of them out in the water swimming around unsure of the shadows surrounding them provides a solid piece of suspense that gets explored quite nicely here as the idea of the shark being anywhere is exceptionally well-executed. The first attacks based on this factor are generally fun and thrilling with the means of it appearing out of nowhere and ramming boats or grabbing them out of the sea which gives this some gruesome and likable moments. With a frantic finale featuring some enjoyable action confronting the shark and an ingenious method of finally stopping it that’s logical and believable, there are some worthwhile features here to this one.
There are some issues here that hold it down. One of the main drawbacks is a highly unoriginal and nearly carbon-copy retread of a plotline in the original involving one of the characters underestimating the drive and resolve of another member of the group. Repeated mention is made of their inability to handle themselves in the situation including not acting like themselves while they're out on the trip. As things go on, it becomes apparent how out of touch they are with their family which is a repeated plotpoint that isn't as unique as it thinks it is while also padding out the running time agonizing over matters that aren't in the slightest bit interesting. Tying it all in with a wholly unoriginal piece of unexpressed traumatic reaction that's not in the slightest bit exciting or interesting keeps this one feeling like a retread of the original quite frequently.
The other factor holding this one down is a decidedly unappealing number of survivors that manages to be quite unfavorable to get behind. Since the shark is stalking them and not really interacting much beyond brief bursts of activity which are fun enough when they occur, there’s not a lot of stalling for time here that keeps the shark off-screen for a large part of the running time. That’s due to the film not only having a small cast in place but also deciding on way too many survivors than what’s necessary so it’s cutting itself off from the very start in terms of offering the kind of features that are required to sell this one since the opportunities for a lot of blood and gore is kept out by removing those factors from the film. On top of that, the idea that several of these victims who are attacked and bitten survive the encounter which makes the creature far less lethal and imposing than it should which are all that lower this one.
Overview: **.5/5
A slightly better sequel that is let down by some big issues, there’s more to enjoy here than expected which is somewhat undermined by the factors holding it back. Those who prefer this more serious side of the creature feature genre, who enjoyed the original, or are fans of the creative crew will be the most likely audience here while those that don’t enjoy any of those factors should heed caution with it.
Comments
Post a Comment