2/21/2024 0 Comments Pete's dragon school teacher![]() ![]() Those caveats aside, however, The Shallows is a chilling thriller that vividly brings to life the very stuff of nightmares. The final act descends into unnecessary silliness on occasion, as the film-makers seek to amplify an already visceral melodrama, and the nagging question as to why the shark doesn’t simply sate its hunger on the dead whale floating in the bay is never satisfactorily answered. In terms of its thrills and spills, the story is Jaws boiled down to its purest essence, but the standoff between Nancy and her nemesis belies its title with a more profound dimension, as the ever-resourceful Nancy battles despair, physical weakness and the vagaries of fate as she seeks to outwit a foe as pitiless as anything on earth. Written by Anthony Jaswinski and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, it’s a great set-up that pits the wounded Nancy’s wits against the shark’s single-minded instinct, and Blake Lively does a terrific job of shouldering the entire story for the 86-minute running time, much of it spent in close-up as Collet-Serra ratchets up the tension. One wipe-out later, however, Nancy finds herself bleeding and marooned on a rock 200 metres from safety, with the tide coming in and a ravenous shark between her and the shore. ![]() Nancy (Blake Lively) travels alone to a deserted Mexican beach to surf some waves and pay homage to her mother’s spirit. The Shallows (12A) is as stripped-back a high-concept thriller as you’re likely to see this year. The CGI dragon (a master of camouflage and disguise) is beautifully blended into the live- action scenes, and while the plot evolves to a formula so precise you can almost hear the scenarios click into place, Lowery directs with a light touch that renders Pete’s Dragon a charming, upbeat fantasy. ![]() This Disney tale isn’t in the same league as Spielberg’s finest child-oriented movies, but it’s a well-crafted story of children learning to cope with loss, and teaching adults a thing or two about love. Loosely adapted from the 1977 semi- animated musical of the same name, Pete’s Dragon is directed by David Lowery as a family-friendly action-adventure - if you can imagine ET breathing flames you won’t be too far away. The distraught Elliott is helpless - but when a group of loggers led by Gavin (Karl Urban) go hunting Elliott in the woods, the scene is set for a cataclysmic showdown. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |