Into the Deep

If you want to watch a low budget movie with characters you don't care about and a plot that is predictable... then this one is for you. If you want to watch a better "trapped on a boat" movie, watch Dead Calm or even Harpoon.

Two girls and a guy out on a 'disabled' sailing yacht. Someone is mentally unstable, but who? Ok, they had a budget and it would never win any awards, but not everyone can live in a Marvel universe. I've seen so many 4 rated movies, this one should be a 6, but it falls just a hair short. I think the protagonists do an acceptable job with their characters (and yes, the guy looks a lot like his sister). I stuck with it because I did get vested enough to want to know who the sociopath was. Colorful filming, pretty people, a little nudity, sadly no sharks, but a little blood, and a Disney ending (too bad). Quite watchable.

It isn't the best movie ever, but it's entertaining enough, and considering the limited setting and cast (all movie long we are on the same boat with the same three people) it's quite an achievement that they made it thrilling until the very end. I especially liked it, that up until the last say 20 minutes you keep guessing who speaks the truth and who is the villain. Ella-Rae Smith plays her bewilderment and deadly fear very well, Matthew Daddario as handsome and charming Ben makes it totally believable that young Jess falls for him, and Jessica Alexander is equally convincing as the relentless vengeful Lexie.

I do have a few minor reservations. The sad personal history of Jess keeps popping up, but doesn't add anything to the story. And the last scene somehow gave the impression that the makers considered someone as a hero and worth to be saved, who in my opinion was, in spite of understandable motives, disproportionally violent, even murderous. A bit of a questionable moral, I would say. But for the rest: a nice and entertaining thriller.

After watching Into the Deep, I'm a little shocked that I'm not trashing this movie hard. It doesn't seem like it's for me. It has a very high-school-y vibe, like a romance drama for teen girls. It sometimes feels like a B-movie. And to top it off, it starts really slow and takes a while before anything actually happens.

And yet... I found myself enjoying it. I can't explain it. Maybe it's the good musical score that kept me intrigued. Maybe I just fell in love with the lead actress 3 seconds into her screentime. Or maybe it's actually decent.

I might've given this a slightly positive score, but I was turned off by a few character decisions and some really dumb moments later in the movie. Still, this is so much more entertaining than a lot of the boring and useless garbage I watch. (1 viewing, 3/24/2023)

No pun intended - if you like thriller movies, that have a bit of spice added to them .. well you may be able to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow (of the ocean) ... so never mind the flaws. Never mind the gullible nature of our main character ... or is there more to it? You may wonder about that considering how trusting she is ... for no reason at all.

That all said, the movie works when the suspense is at its height ... well only with the already mentioned suspension. The actors try their best - and they are fine to look at anyway. If that helps in any way - because you have to be able to be forgiving when it comes to their decision making ... in the end, this is empowering .. even if more than a bit flawed ...