“Deep Water” follows a group of international passengers who must work together to survive after their flight crash lands in shark-infested waters.
Turbulence Before the Bite
The film takes its time at the start, providing lengthy character backstories and introductions. This adds depth to what follows, giving the audience a mixture of likable and annoying leads; people you can root for, and others that you “root for…” their demise.
When it’s semi-grounded in reality, “Deep Water” is at its best. Especially as the plane comes crashing down, it executes some of the most intense sequences of 2026 so far. This is due to the camerawork, editing and sound design. D.J. Stipsen’s cinematography is chaotic, with constantly shaking visuals that prove nauseating. Mixed in with Geoff Lamb’s fast-paced editing, the film puts you directly inside the aircraft. The tension is palpable in these moments, as objects go flying, emergency oxygen masks come dropping down, and pieces of the plane itself are torn apart. Not only are these elements felt through the visuals, but also the audio. Screams echo through all of the madness, constantly emphasizing the severity of the situation. It’s messy by design — and effective because of this.
When Reality Sinks
Once the “sharky” carnage begins, it’s still… fun. Just not as good. As soon as the plane hits the water, “Deep Water” abandons realism and instead moves into “creature feature” territory.
For genre fans, this will likely work. Rather than having a big bad great white shark, these waters are mainly infested with makos. Smartly, “Deep Water” keeps the creatures hidden more often than not. Simple fins, shadows or blood-soaked water do the trick. Sharks have always been a tricky animal to perfectly capture onscreen, but even when fully shown, the film achieves a fairly realistic look — at least compared to some of the movie’s other visual effects.
“Deep Water” takes place in the middle of the ocean. It doesn’t always look like this, though. While underwater, the action feels real. But once the camera is above the sea, green screen work becomes very noticeable. It’s a similar issue that plagued another 2026 survival thriller, “The Drift.” When you can’t film in the middle of the ocean, pools, or in this instance, dive tanks are used. The environment is supposed to be vast, but with these limitations, it typically doesn’t translate.
Despite these issues, Stipsen immerses with shots bobbling on the water’s surface. This triggers a “jump scare” effect on more than one occasion, showcasing the combined fear from the wreckage above and sharks below.
Those looking for blood will likely be satisfied, as “Deep Water” delivers believable carnage. It’s oftentimes subtle, which actually works in the film’s favor. But when necessary, it accentuates the impact.
Treading Water Emotionally
The film bites off more emotion than expected, and sometimes more than it probably should have attempted to chew. With the early focus on character, “Deep Water” attempts to deliver several satisfying arcs. And a number of them actually are. However, it runs into a problem, which is tonal inconsistency. While rounding out individual journeys, the film constantly pauses between the thrills. This sucks all the tension out of key moments, as life-or-death scenarios become an afterthought. Shifting back and forth between thrills and dramatics, director Renny Harlin is never quite able to nail down an overall mood.
With a 106-minute runtime, the film slogs along for too long. It’s not necessarily ever “boring,” but it does lose stakes. After a certain point, it’s just a waiting game until the inevitable rescue.
In the process, the script also grows uneven. Always moving between different groups of characters, there’s only so much “story” that “Deep Water” can retain. While the film starts out “smart,” it gradually grows dumber and dumber… and dumber. There was definitely potential for this to be something more than just mindless B-movie entertainment. That isn’t the route it goes, however.
Aaron Eckhart is at the heart of “Deep Water.” Playing one of the pilots, he’s required to bring some range to the role. He portrays a calm persona, but injects varying emotions when needed. It’s a performance that can easily be overlooked, but works well for this specific movie. Molly Belle Wright (Cora) is just as integral to the film’s core. Her chemistry with Eckhart is evident, with their connection growing more heartwarming as the runtime progresses. Also in the film are Ben Kingsley, Angus Sampson, Kelly Gale and many more.
“Deep Water” is multifunctional, combining a plane crash survival thriller with a creature feature. And it’s to mixed results — doing just enough to stay treading above the surface.
Rating: 3 out of 5
