Bleu d'enfer

Which is: popcorn. This PG-13 "kiddie-action" gets a solid 6/10 from me. I did have my expectations low but that has nothing to do with the fact that this movie is as solid and tight as Jessica Alba in bikinis! There were more than just a few moments where there was either a twist I didn't see coming or an intense moment that left me thinking "OK, wasn't this supposed to be a PG-13 movie?" On top of those, the overall - checklist looks green: dialog, characters, tempo, photography, editing... All in all, a cut above the rest in its own genre and a "risk-free" choice to rent. Shame it did only 18 million at the box-office because it's as good as "The Fast and the Furious"!

This is a suspenseful and engrossing movie with agreeable performances and good rendering of underwater action. It concerns about an innocent couple(Paul Waker, Jessica Alba) get involved in an underwater search for treasures in the island Bahamas. They descend deep into the big blue without the aid of any kind of breathing apparatus, though sometimes use scubas. The frogmen get excited when they accidentally discover what they believe is a vast sunken treasure. They along with a friends(Scott Cahan, Ashley Scott) find a shipwrecked galleon and a crashed plane plenty of dope . In the process they are threatened and then must to thwart the enemies. The team of divers faces danger when they attempt to retrieve goods from a pirate ship, as they spend time in shark-infested water and compete with treasure-seeker(Josh Brolin) and confront against nasty drug-lord(James Frain). The four divers set off on a perilous expedition in search of legendary treasure of pirate, resting in ocean floor and take back drug into the plane.

The pace moves along nicely and production values are on the high scale. This is an amusing seagoing adventure in which the ocean deep figure prominently , though this time guarding sunken treasure. The action is plentiful with undersea excitement with terrifying underwater sequences. The film is spirited, lively and at times rather frightening light bemusing. Made mainly as vehicle for Jessica Alba and Paul Walker, and they show particularly in the technical excellence of the underwater scenes. They show off their considerable screen presence, both attractive and slender. Lightweight entertainment notable for sunny outdoors and underwater photography as well as Jessica Alba in a bathing suit, a glamorous bikini. Jessica Alba fans will ask no more than the sight of their idol in a swimsuit although Ashley Scott come across as the more likable of the two girls involved in this fast-moving sunken treasure yarn.

Gorgeous cinematography manage to keep this afloat with fab footage maritime by cameraman Shane Hurbut and pulsating musical score by Paul Haslinger. The movie was spectacularly shot in Cayman Island and Nassau, New Providence , Island Bahamas. The motion picture is professionally directed by John Stockwell. He's a good actor with no much success(Christine, Radiactive dreams, My science project) and occasionally successful director(Turistas, Blue crush,Crazy/beautiful, Cheaters).

You almost feel like Rodney Dangerfield from Back to School after watching this movie. The film has some neat underwater photography, some good stunts, and even a twist or two. But ultimately, it's just as excuse to show off some young flesh. Is that entirely a bad thing? The Hound thinks not. A good dosage of Jessica Alba flesh can warm you up on the coldest winter day.

Into the Blue is directed by John Stockwell. Yes, the guy who played Cougar in Top Gun. One may dislike the content of the films he's made thus far in his early directing career (Blue Crush, Crazy/Beautiful), but one cannot deny the fact that the man knows how to shoot young women's bodies. Since there are only two female main characters, that means there are also plenty of young men for the women to feast their eyes on. Paul Walker kind of has the Justin Timberlake thing going on. Seeing him and Tyson Beckford really makes me feel out of shape now that the holidays are over.

Oh, the plot! I almost forgot. It's basically a re-hash of The Deep. We have young treasure hunters in the Caribbean who find not only a sunken ship carrying gold, but a recently crashed plane full of cocaine on the ocean floor. Naturally, the drug dealer of record in the area wants the coke for himself, and doesn't want anyone getting in the way by searching for treasure near by. The resulting action has numerous gun battles, shark attacks, kidnappings, and acts of machismo. The film is a little long, but the conclusion is worth sticking around for.

This film is not to be confused with anything up for an Academy Award this year. It was filmed nearly a year and a half before it was released for reasons I would not dare to speculate on. It did make $18 million bucks in the theaters, but any long-lasting success this film has will depend on if any of these stars goes on to have a long career. There is an extraordinary amount of violence and gore for a PG-13 film. An F-bomb or two here and there, would have certainly given it an R. The acting is pretty sparse. The scenes above water look rushed, and possibly printed on the first or second take. The scenes below water are very impressive, however.

The verdict: 5 of 10 stars. This is a popcorn flick with some decent production values, and a hot young cast. Not much else. Too many bad guys, and a plot that doesn't know when to resolve itself. Here's a little game if you get bored with the movie... see if you can hold your breath as long as these people do in some of these scenes. Some of the time it seems like they go several minutes without breathing.

The Hound.

I'd read about this film and seen the trailer and knew I would see it even after I read all the damning reviews people have written.

For the first hour, it's easy to see why people might get bored, there's a lot of character and story building going on and besides the diving there isn't a lot else going on action-wise. Personally, I am quite into diving so for me the appeal was there. It was quite odd for me as after an hour I had found myself totally immensed in the story and unaware of anything else happening in the cinema around me! After the first hour things really start hotting up and the action begins. Without giving too much away the climax is just about right in terms of time although Jared's summary of who is crossing or double-crossing who was rather too brief and quick for me. Never mind, we all knew who was the bad guy anyway. And so after the climax is the finale and it's predictable stuff sure, but I'm all for a happy ending (hey, who isn't?!).

I summary, I would recommend this to anyone 25 or under really. The story is solid enough to keep you interested and the diving scenes are pretty spectacular (as is Jessica Alba!). As long as you aren't expecting an Oscar winner you'll do fine!

I'm pretty critical of most pop films, but I thought this was one of the best ones to come out in awhile. The underwater cinematography was amazing - totally worth the matinée price and cheaper than diving- the kind of film you need the bigscreen to enjoy.

Sure I love much more clever crafted films , but for the MTV generation this film had just enough, maybe the fact that I am an ocean person, have a thing for treasure, the romance of lost properties and jessica alba- i was totally enjoying it.

I thought the casting was great- sure Paul really cant act, but he reminded of more than a handful of people I went to highschool with - so I could believe it- his obnxious pompous buddy was classic and some of the underlying subplots of human greed are so universal that I actually felt something for these morons.

The real star is the ocean here and the good guy/ bad guy looked like my step brother and fit the bill. Anyhow i doubt this film will do very little justice on a small screen, but overall the script was solid and the sea animal work was mind blowing.

Maybe I was just in the mood - but i enjoyed it and watching alba swim, god she is gorgeous. Didn't change my life, but I was entertained to the end.