Respond to these rapid questions in our 47 Meters Down quiz and we will tell you which 47 Meters Down character you are. Play it now.
No doubt, many will consider the shark-infested thriller “47 Meters Down” to be nothing more than a ripoff, having been rushed into production in the hopes of capitalizing on the success of last summer’s sleeper hit “The Shallows.” However, there is a chance that some will consider the film to be something more. That is not the case in this particular instance. The film was completed and scheduled for a direct-to-video release last August, but it was pulled from stores less than a week before it was scheduled to debut (although some copies did manage to make their way into the marketplace) when another studio purchased it with the intention of giving it a proper theatrical release this summer, presumably in the hopes of earning some of the same money as “The Shallows.” Unfortunately, the film’s backstory is far more interesting than the film itself, which takes an intriguing premise, a couple of reasonably nifty “BOO!” moments, and a pair of likable leads and wastes them with tedious execution and an ending that is almost too ridiculous to believe.
Lisa (Mandy Moore) has just been dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of a big Mexican vacation because she is apparently too boring, so she invites her firecracker younger sister Kate (Claire Holt) to accompany her instead of him. While out partying, they come across a couple of locals who persuade the two to accompany them on a shark cage excursion, where they will be lowered into the water in order to get a close-up view of the great white sharks that are swimming in the waters nearby. Lisa agrees to go along with it after considerable deliberation, but she becomes increasingly concerned when they arrive at the dock and discover that the boat is rickety, the cage even more so, and that the captain is none other than Matthew Modine. Nonetheless, Kate coaxes her into going down, and they are soon being lowered into the water..
Things are going smoothly for a while—the ocean life is stunning, and a couple of sharks show up on time—but their five-meter dive takes a dramatic turn when the winch fails, sending the cage plummeting 47 meters to the ocean floor. The sisters are struggling to find a way out of their predicament as they have only a small amount of air left in their tanks. Unfortunately, they have fallen just outside of radio range and are unable to communicate with the outside world without leaving the cage. When Kate finally makes contact with the others, she discovers that if they attempt to swim straight up to the surface, they will get the bends and will most likely perish. They try to figure out a way out of their increasingly dire predicament as their air supply runs out, and the sharks remain on the prowl. Lisa discovers an inner strength she never knew she possessed, though it may not be enough to keep the sharks at bay.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this 47 Meters Down quiz.
Given the number of primal fears that the film’s premise appeals to, you’d think that “47 Meters Down” would have no trouble making viewers squirm in their seats. But that’s not the case. However, the film is never quite able to make them pay off in the end. The screenplay, written by Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera, is a strangely clumsy piece of work that never quite seems to know what it’s trying to accomplish. The opening scenes, in which Kate attempts to persuade Lisa to overcome her fears and stop being boring by getting into the cage, are ridiculous, and when they agree to go underwater despite the shabby nature of the quasi-legal diving operation, they appear to be complete moron. Once they arrive at the ocean, little of what the two have to say to each other is of interest, and they continue to do silly things in order to worsen their predicament—if someone is holding a tool of critical importance, you can be certain that they will drop it at some point. Finally, the bizarre ending, which inexplicably attempts to throw a twist in the proceedings at precisely the point when it shouldn’t—to be fair, it is set up in such a way that you are more or less expecting it, but it is executed so badly that there is a good chance that audiences will rebel against it in the same way that they did against the ending of “It Comes at Night”— Let me put it this way: the conclusion of this film makes the conclusion of “The Shallows” (the film’s one obvious weak point) appear to be similar to the conclusion of “Jaws.”
47 Meters Down Quiz
There are some elements of the film that aren’t all that bad, however, and this is one of them. Even if the script never quite manages to make Lisa’s emotional turmoil pay off in a convincing dramatic fashion, Mandy Moore, who has always been a favorite of mine (her performance in the wonderful “Southland Tale” is a thing of beauty), is immensely likable and sympathetic as Lisa. Clare Holt does a good job as Kate, despite the fact that she has much less to do. Moreover, while Roberts is a complete failure when it comes to screenwriting, his work as a director does manage to generate some genuine tension at certain points, as he plunges us into the murky depths of the ocean with no idea where we are or what might be lurking only a few feet away from us. As for the sharks themselves, they are used sparingly throughout the film—at least until the conclusion—but they do manage to score a couple of decent-sized scares by appearing out of nowhere and wreaking havoc on the characters. Tomandandy’s extremely effective score, which does a good job of adding another layer of tension to the proceedings, is the film’s best feature, which is surprising considering the subject matter.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this 47 Meters Down quiz.
When I was watching “47 Meters Down,” I was debating whether or not to give it two and a half stars. It wasn’t “Jaws” or even “The Shallows” (which I strongly advise you to watch if you haven’t already), but it had a few effective moments, and its small-scale and claustrophobic feel was a welcome relief after watching one bloated would-be blockbuster after another. Then there was that ending, which irritated me so much that I ended up deducting a half-star from the overall rating because of it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, despite the fact that it has a few positive aspects, “47 Meters Down” is a work that is easily skippable. Ironically, it will probably end up playing better on television and home video, where viewers may be more willing to overlook its flaws. I’m also attempting to convey the message that whoever came up with the film’s ending should be chopped up and turned into chum.
For more personality quizzes check this: All Eyez On Me Quiz.
