Dove Review

The Synopsis:

A crew of aquatic researchers works to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear.

The Review:

The 2020 film Underwater follows the story of six surviving aquatic researchers desperately trying to escape from their collapsing underwater facility after a massive earthquake. During this endeavor, Nora Price, the film’s protagonist, and her colleagues, have more than the aftermath of the earthquake to worry about; undiscovered sea life dwells at the bottom of the ocean, aiming to stop them at any cost.

The concept of the film itself is a unique one, as underwater survival is always intense and capable of getting audience members to hold their breath in anticipation for the next scene or creature reveal. However, this film is one that focuses more on the number of jump scares it can cram into a single minute of runtime. The creatures themselves are certainly of a terrifying nature, but whenever they are revealed, the audience barely gets a single glance before the camera spins wildly, as though it has been dropped and kicked around several times under the water, which, combined with several bright lights spinning around at about the same speed as the metaphorically falling camera, is not something parents would want their young children to see, especially if prone to seizures.

The characters in the film are often very liberal with their words, making use of the F-word more than once, and taking the Lord’s name in vain on multiple occasions. There is also an element of partial nudity as two of the female characters are frequently in nothing more than a bra and underwear when not walking through the underwater depths and there is also a good amount of male partial nudity as well, in a way that is far from flattering.

Overall, while this film does have a solid concept, it ultimately falls short of what it could have been and it’s Not Dove-approved. While it will still entertain an older audience, at least to the very end, its terrifying imagery, partial nudity, and violence would definitely not be something younger children would want to watch.

Dove Rating Details

1

Faith

Though faith plays an incredibly small to nonexistent role in this film, certain characteristics do shine through in certain instances. Nora’s and the Captain Lucien’s self-sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of the remaining survivors definitely offered a parallel to Christ-like sacrifice. There is also a great deal of camaraderie and loyalty, as a community of an ideal church would more than likely have.

3

Integrity

There is a great deal of violence in this film. The creatures of the deep are extremely hostile toward the survivors, never passing up a chance to attack and kill one of them. The high-tech underwater suits the survivors wear also showcase their own amount of violence, as a single crack in the glass helmet causes the entire suit and its wearer to implode, spreading blood and body parts all over the area.

0

Sex

None

3

Language

There is a decent amount of language in the film. The F-word is used more than once, as is “s***” and the Lord’s name being taken in vain.

3

Violence

There is a great deal of violence in this film. The creatures of the deep are extremely hostile toward the survivors, never passing up a chance to attack and kill one of them. The high-tech underwater suits the survivors wear also showcase their own amount of violence, as a single crack in the glass helmet causes the entire suit and its wearer to implode, spreading blood and body parts all over the area.

0

Drugs

None

2

Nudity

There is a significant amount of partial nudity in the film, as Nora, the film’s lead is constantly shown in nothing more than a bra and underwear. The secondary female lead is also in her underwear. Male nudity is also present, as the audience is shown a grown man’s posterior as well as the implication of full frontal nudity.

0