Underwater

"Last night I saw my Kristen making a bomb. Oo-oo-ee. Murky, murky, cheap, cheap!"

The Abyss meets Aliens with a bit of The Poseidon Adventure, a lot of Pacific Rim and a dash of The Meg in this subaquatic sci-fi that offers nothing more than the sum of its references.

The murky cinematography further hinders a picture that looks as though it was shot through raw sewage.

It's not that bad, it is just not any good.

As viewers of this dreck, we could teach the earth's crust a few things about being deeply bored.

Instantly forgettable.

William Eubank delivers a remarkably well-filmed sci-fi horror-thriller filled with great tension, surprisingly visible (!) action, fantastic production design, and some really captivating VFX work.

And, amid all the oceanic dread is a fundamental shred of optimism that lances the dark ending—for the sake of others, we have to be less thoughtless.

It might not reinvent the wheel but unlike the drilling that initiates the accident, it is neither deep nor boring. Underwater is a B movie as slick as oil and is a gem hidden in the busy waters of February’s cinematic releases like a rare pearl.

It’s not all that original and it has some character issues. At the same time, it’s a fun deep-sea survival romp that essentially delivers on its promises.