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The Shallows

PG-13 Released Jun 24, 2016 1h 27m Mystery & Thriller Adventure TRAILER for List
79% Tomatometer 219 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 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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The Shallows

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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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Critics Reviews

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Tara Brady Irish Times [A] reasonably entertaining, imprudently daft aquatic thriller. Rated: 3/5 Dec 5, 2016 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Cory Woodroof For the Win (USA Today) Filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra never fails with these mid-budget thrillers, and this might be his strongest film to date. Aug 4, 2023 Full Review 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 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The Shallows may contain a few occasional shocks, but this is indeed surface level stuff. Rated: 1.5/4 Apr 11, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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BJ M It could have been a good movie but it lacked realism - Lively acted well but the shark attack scenes were fake and not realistic. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/09/24 Full Review Chris S Sorry but the Fan score of 59 is very low lol This was a good movie. Solid 70-75. Not a masterpiece but very entertaining and it pulls you in. Very few movies gave me this level of anxiety. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Percy C Blake is a great actress and sells this movie Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Matthew D Blake Lively is actually excellent as a surfer girl attacked by a shark. Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan and House of Wax) delivers a survival horror thriller called The Shallows (2016). It is a frightening horror film, a clever survival thriller, and a lovely surfing picture all at once. Collet-Serra’s direction delivers exciting shark attacks and ingenious ways to survive by being resourceful. It’s a beautiful film visually with breathtaking wide shots of vast waters and expansive beaches. Blake Lively also looks stunning as a smart and sexy surfer in a bikini. The Shallows is attempting to be like Blue Crush, Into the Blue, 127 Hours, all mixed with Jaws. It rides the waves of terror with ease thanks to Blake Lively’s standout acting performance. Writer Anthony Jaswinski came up with engaging scenarios for shark attacks, the shark circling the waters, tending to injuries, timing the high and low tides, jellyfish appearing, jellyfish stings, coral reef damage, to even treating a cute seagull. I like all the different ways that Lively has to come up with to live with limited resources. The Shallows has a great premise of having a foolish American tourist surfer trying to surf in a secluded secret break off the beaches of Mexico. Then a shark attack occurs and we’re off. I think people will continue to revisit The Shallows as the excellent film it remains. Blake Lively is surprisingly gripping, moving, likable, and impressive as surfer heroine Nancy Adams. Lively is not one of my favorite actresses, but she delivers a compelling and engaging lead actress role in The Shallows. Óscar Jaenada is very nice and considerate as local Carlos, although he never reveals the name of the beach, which I imagine was something along the lines of Shark Death Bay. Sully Seagull is adorable as the seagull in The Shallows, who befriends and helps Blake Lively out. Editor Joel Negron’s smooth cuts from surfing footage to the shark’s perspective are amusing. Cinematographer Flavio Martínez Labiano’s wide shots of Blake Lively and her double surfing are fabulous. Mick O'Brien and Mark Levey’s bright lighting is lovely. All the shark, whale, and dolphin CGI look spectacular. The surfing stunts are cool. Composer Marco Beltrami’s film score is thrilling. Costume designer Kym Barrett’s bikini and wet suit for Blake Lively look great. In short, The Shallows is a brief and brisk survival horror film at a tight 86 minutes. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Mark C Cringe. I thought Blake Lively’s acting was pretty good but the CGI dolphins and shark are poor. I also think the director doesn’t understand tides. The rock she was on was a metre out of the water 25 minutes before high tide, yet she needs to leave it to swim to the buoy because it will be fully submerged soon…… seriously? Not sure flares work when wet. The ending wasn’t great either Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/31/24 Full Review Audience Member This movie has it all- terrible acting, flimsy plot and a wonderfully hurried happy ending. To say it was a waste of time is an understatement. It's not even cheesy or camp. This movie belongs sunken at sea and should never be mentioned. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Shallows

The Shallows: Official Clip - I Love You The Shallows: Official Clip - I Love You 2:06 The Shallows: Official Clip - Impaled The Shallows: Official Clip - Impaled 2:46 The Shallows: Official Clip - Get Out of the Water! The Shallows: Official Clip - Get Out of the Water! 3:00 The Shallows: Official Clip - Stitches The Shallows: Official Clip - Stitches 2:22 The Shallows: Official Clip - Fighting with Fire The Shallows: Official Clip - Fighting with Fire 2:29 The Shallows: Official Clip - Swim for Safety The Shallows: Official Clip - Swim for Safety 2:45 The Shallows: Official Clip - 30 Seconds The Shallows: Official Clip - 30 Seconds 1:40 The Shallows: Official Clip - Stop! The Shallows: Official Clip - Stop! 2:52 The Shallows: Official Clip - Shark Attack The Shallows: Official Clip - Shark Attack 2:30 The Shallows: Official Clip - Jellyfish Swim The Shallows: Official Clip - Jellyfish Swim 2:45 View more videos
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Movie Info

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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