Another shark thriller, another ride through the pandemonium of how the heck to survive around these creatures when tossed into the sea.
Above and Below is a more fascinating idea, pulling back from the ubiquitous threats in the water while juggling a tense standoff on a boat. And while it alternates between what’s above on the boat versus what’s under the water, there seems to be a lack of momentum from the start that drags its anchor along with mediocre effects. Director Jesse V. Johnson, who has a repertoire of action flicks (sorry!), seems rather gun-shy about filling the screen with more tension and heart-in-your-mouth moments.
The plot follows Tatiana (Laura Marano), her brother Kyle (Diego Llinás), and other friends on vacation in Mexico. Kyle seems to have a bit of a gambling issue, so after losing to a drug kingpin named Burns (Antonio Banderas), Burns offers him some solace with a boat trip that entails shark diving inside a cage. So Kyle cajoles his sister and friends to join the ride with the captain, Logan (Timothy Murphy), only to be tagged along with two other nefarious individuals on the same boat. Yeah, all fun and laughter, until one of the guys opens the criminals’ bags and triggers a blood chain of events that leads to Burns boarding and negotiations with the women underwater in shark territory.
It’s always great to see Banderas flex his iconic voice while having some fun with the antagonistic role, juggling his charisma and manipulative ways. However, the pacing is rather mundane before it gets to the fun and thrills of a drug standoff out in the ocean, and it doesn’t serve the story well when it borderline becomes dull and callous. Yeah, you can get frenetically concerned about losing oxygen when you’re nearly a hundred meters down, but no one is buying the jolts when it seems more of the action was meant for up on the seadeck. The lack of chemistry between most of the actors/actresses is painfully evident, as most of the dialogue is stilted, except when Banderas gives it his all.
Johnson does put in some effort with the sharks and their presence (via practical effects/CGI), and the underwater scenes have some worthwhile cinematography. But something was gravely missing from this film’s aspirations that could elevate it into a feature remembered like The Shallows, Sharkwater, or Spielberg’s classic Jaws. Perhaps belie with the premise of “the dangerous outcome of keeping secrets,” and yet, nothing comes off it.
As it stands, Above and Below is simply another shark ride to contend with, and yet, it will end up above or below on one’s shelves as they search for other titles that look more promising.
