The Shallows

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The Shallows

PG-13

Released Jun 24, 2016

1h 27m

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

219 Reviews

59%

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25,000+ Ratings

Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.

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Critics Consensus

Lean and solidly crafted, The Shallows transcends tired shark-attack tropes with nasty thrills and a powerful performance from Blake Lively.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

[A] reasonably entertaining, imprudently daft aquatic thriller.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 5, 2016

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David Stratton

The Australian

The realism of the early scenes -- leaving aside Nancy's unaccountable willingness to be stranded alone in a remote place -- is replaced by increasingly silly scenes that lead eventually to a nonsensical conclusion.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 19, 2016

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David Sexton

London Evening Standard

About half of what is now going on in all cinema is the product of technological advances in film-making and The Shallows makes much more intelligent use of them than the superheroes do.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 14, 2016

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Guillermo Troncoso

Screen Realm

The Shallows stays afloat by keeping its premise fun, visceral and engaging.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 21, 2025

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

The shock value action is just what you want in this kind of movie and the stings linger like a knife slowly continuing to twist inside a wound.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 28, 2025

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“The Shallows” wisely stays true to its central concept. Its hook could easily wear thin if it extended itself too far, but the compact 80 minute running time keeps the tension high and the story moving forward.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 25, 2022

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Kyle E

A good shark movie with a fantastic performance from Blake Lively, but the CGI shark looks wonky at times

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/16/25

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Flynn S

2nd best shark film ever?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

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John P

Preposterous in terms of realism, but if you can willingly suspend all disbelief in almost every scene (it gets more and more preposterous as it unfolds), Lively does an incredible job of depicting the terror and the pain of her ordeal.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

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Stephen C

Successful shark movie in 1 hour and 27 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language, Bloody Images and Intense Sequences of Peril!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $55,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/25

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Gareth v

A movie that is carried by Blake Lively in this slick and at times tense thriller. The CGI shark is underwhelming and let's the film down.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

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Ollie H

Worst movie I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t have created a more annoying main character and it was a shame to see her survive. Furthermore it was also gut wrenching to see the other characters not survive, which in hindsight made her gain aura. I must also add that it was extremely unrealistic and she would’ve been long gone if I was the shark.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

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Jaume Collet-Serra

Director

Blake Lively

Nancy

Óscar Jaenada

Carlos

Brett Cullen

Dad

Sedona Legge

Chloe

Pablo Calva

Boy

The Shallows: Official Clip - I Love You

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Impaled

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Get Out of the Water!

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Stitches

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Fighting with Fire

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Swim for Safety

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The Shallows: Official Clip - 30 Seconds

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Stop!

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Shark Attack

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The Shallows: Official Clip - Jellyfish Swim

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Synopsis

Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Producer: Lynn Harris, Matti Leshem
Screenwriter: Anthony Jaswinski
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Weimaraner Republic Pictures, Ombra Films
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language|Bloody Images|Intense Sequences of Peril)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.1M
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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