Underwater (film)

Last updated

Underwater
Underwater poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by William Eubank
Screenplay by
Story byBrian Duffield
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Bojan Bazelli
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox [1]
Release date
  • January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50–65 million [2] [3]
Box office$40.9 million [1]

Underwater is a 2020 American science fiction action horror film directed by William Eubank. [4] The film stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and T.J. Miller. [5]

Contents

Underwater follows a group of workers on a drilling facility at the bottom of the ocean who encounter hostile creatures after an earthquake destroys the facility. The film was released in the United States on January 10, 2020, by 20th Century Fox; it was the last film under the Fox name before the studio's rebranding as 20th Century Studios on January 17. [6] It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $40 million worldwide against a production budget of $50–65 million. [1] [7] [8]

Plot

In 2050, the Kepler 822, a research and drilling facility operated by Tian Industries at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, is struck by what is assumed to be a strong earthquake. As part of the facility is destroyed by the incident, mechanical engineer Norah Price and her colleagues, Rodrigo and Paul, make their way to the escape pod bay. However, the three discover that all of the escape pods have already been deployed, with Captain Lucien being the only person in the area when the three arrive. Together they reach a control base and find biologist Emily Haversham and engineer Liam Smith, who are unsuccessful in their attempts to make contact with the surface. Lucien suggests using pressurized suits to walk one mile across the ocean floor to Roebuck 641 in the hope of resurfacing from there. As they descend in a freight elevator, Rodrigo's defective helmet implodes under the water pressure, killing him. The surviving crew see a distress beacon from one of the escape pods below, and Smith and Paul go to investigate. As they arrive at the location, they find a body in the rubble. A creature emerges from the corpse's back and attacks them. Smith kills the creature and takes it inside. Haversham examines the creature and realizes that it belongs to a previously undiscovered species.

The five make their way to the sea floor, but as they are walking, the Kepler explodes above and nearly buries them in debris. Smith is hit, but Price and Lucien save him. They manage to get through an access tunnel to an intermediate station, where they can charge and clean their suits. However, they find that Smith's oxygen scrubber is badly damaged from the debris. On their way through the access tunnel, Paul is attacked by an unknown creature, dragged underwater, and killed. Before the team leaves the access tunnel, they find that Smith's damaged oxygen pod will cause him to suffocate from the explosion's toxic fumes. Unwilling to leave another crew member behind, Price, Lucien, and Haversham agree to help Smith walk. The four set off across the ocean floor, but a humanoid creature appears and drags Smith into a cave. Lucien manages to get Smith out, but he is pulled from the other three. Price is dragged along with Lucien, but Lucien sacrifices himself to spare Price from the increasing pressure differential.

Price ends up at the abandoned Shepard station alone and is able to change her damaged diving suit before continuing toward Roebuck. Walking along the ocean floor, she reunites with Haversham and Smith, and proceeds to help drag Smith. As they enter Roebuck, they encounter a nest of the humanoid creatures hanging from the ceiling and try to sneak by, but the sound of Haversham's oxygen alarm wakes the creatures. Price is partially swallowed by one of the creatures but is able to kill it and free herself. The three manage to reach the escape pod bay, but Price discovers that only two of the pods are functional. Price and Haversham manage to get the ailing Smith into a pod, and Price persuades Haversham to take the last one. As this happens, a gigantic creature emerges and attacks the Roebuck while the smaller creatures follow the two escape pods. Price, accepting her impending death, initiates an overload of the Roebuck's nuclear core, resulting in a massive explosion that kills the creatures and allows the escape pods to reach the surface. This is followed by news headlines that say there were only two survivors, suggesting none of the other escape pods made it. Tian Industries refuses to be involved with investigations into the events and prepares to expand its drilling efforts.

Cast

Production

Development and casting

On February 22, 2017, it was announced that Kristen Stewart would star in Underwater, a film to be directed by William Eubank from a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Adam Cozad. It was revealed that principal production would commence the next month. [9] On March 7, 2017, T.J. Miller and Jessica Henwick joined the cast, and principal production was set to commence later that month in New Orleans. [10]

On April 5, 2017, during principal production, Vincent Cassel and Mamoudou Athie joined the cast, [11] and the next day, John Gallagher Jr. was also added. [12] In May 2017, following the end of filming for the film, it was revealed that Gunner Wright was also part of the cast. [13] After shooting the film, the director decided to design the alpha creature based on H. P. Lovecraft's mythos, [14] as it features Cthulhu as the monster. [15]

Music

Marco Beltrami & Brandon Roberts composed the film score. Fox Music & Hollywood Records released the soundtrack.

Release

Underwater was released in the United States on January 10, 2020 [16] and in UK cinemas on February 7, 2020. [17]

Reception

Box office

Underwater grossed $17.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $23.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $41 million. [1]

In the United States and Canada, Underwater was released alongside Like a Boss and the expansions of Just Mercy and 1917 , and was projected to gross around $8 million in its opening weekend. [18] [7] The film made $2.7 million on its first day, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $7 million, finishing seventh at the box office. [2] The film fell 48% in its second weekend to $3.6 million (and $4.8 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday), finishing eleventh. [19]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 48% based on 222 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Underwater's strong cast and stylish direction aren't enough to distract from the strong sense of déjà vu provoked by this claustrophobic thriller's derivative story". [20] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported it received an average 2 out of 5 stars, with 35% of people saying they would definitely recommend it. [2]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "This is a creature feature, whose gory jump-scares and icktastic critter design are the reason you're here. An ensemble led by Kristen Stewart brings credible camaraderie to the scenario without quite matching the vivid chemistry of Alien and its best descendants; with such a tightly packed survival tale ahead of them, though, few viewers will be calling out for more character development." [22]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: "Underwater is a stupefying entertainment in which every claustrophobic space and apocalyptic crash of water registers as a slick visual trigger, yet it's all built on top of a dramatic void. It's boredom in Sensurround." [23]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Visual Effects Society Awards April 6, 2021 Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal FeatureSreejith Venugopalan, Ruslan Borysov, Susil Sabat, Andreas AnderssonNominated [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Stewart</span> American actress (born 1990)

Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Henwick</span> British actress (born 1992)

Jessica Yu-Li Henwick is a British actress, writer and director. She began her career in 2010 and is best known for her roles in Game of Thrones, Iron Fist, Love and Monsters, The Matrix Resurrections, The Gray Man, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and The Royal Hotel. Her directorial debut Bus Girl was nominated for a BAFTA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomi Scott</span> British actress (born 1993)

Naomi Scott is an English actress and singer. Born in Hounslow, London, Scott began her career with a starring role on the Disney Channel series Life Bites (2008–2009) and gained wider recognition for starring in the television musical film Lemonade Mouth (2011), for which she performed on the chart-topping eponymous soundtrack. Following this breakthrough, she starred in the science fiction series Terra Nova (2011) and the superhero film Power Rangers (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Sanders</span> English filmmaker (born 1971)

Rupert Miles Sanders is an English film director. He has directed the films Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and Ghost in the Shell (2017). In 2021, he directed the pilot episode of the Apple TV+ science fiction series Foundation.

<i>American Ultra</i> 2015 film by Nima Nourizadeh

American Ultra is a 2015 American action comedy film directed by Nima Nourizadeh and written by Max Landis. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Tony Hale. The story is about a stoner who discovers he was part of a secret government program and is a sleeper agent.

<i>The Huntsman: Winters War</i> 2016 film by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The Huntsman: Winter's War is a 2016 American fantasy action-adventure film and both a prequel and sequel to Snow White & the Huntsman (2012). As the directorial debut of Cedric Nicolas-Troyan it takes place before and after the events of the first film. The screenplay was written by Craig Mazin and Evan Spiliotopoulos and is based on characters created by Evan Daugherty. Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Nick Frost and Sam Claflin reprised their roles from the first film; the sequel also introduced new characters played by Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain and Rob Brydon.

<i>Bad Moms</i> 2016 film by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Bad Moms is a 2016 American comedy film directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Christina Applegate.

<i>Charlies Angels</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Elizabeth Banks

Charlie's Angels is a 2019 American action comedy film written and directed by Elizabeth Banks from a story by Evan Spiliotopoulos and David Auburn. It stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the new generation of Angels who are working for a private detective agency named the Townsend Agency. The film is the third installment in the Charlie's Angels film series and serves as a continuation of the story that began with the television series of the same name by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, and the two previous theatrical films, Charlie's Angels (2000) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).

<i>Patti Cake$</i> 2017 film

Patti Cake$ is a 2017 American drama film directed by Geremy Jasper. It was screened in the US Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was released on August 18, 2017, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Adam Cozad is an American screenwriter best known for writing the scripts for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, The Legend of Tarzan, and Underwater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamoudou Athie</span> American actor (born 1988)

Mamoudou Athie is a Mauritanian-born American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Turner in the Netflix horror series Archive 81 (2022) and voicing Wade Ripple in the Pixar animated film Elemental (2023).

<i>Spies in Disguise</i> 2019 film by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Spies in Disguise is a 2019 American animated spy comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely inspired by the 2009 animated short Pigeon: Impossible by Lucas Martell, the film is directed by Troy Quane and Nick Bruno from a screenplay by Brad Copeland and Lloyd Taylor, and a story by Cindy Davis. It stars the voices of Will Smith and Tom Holland, alongside Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Reba McEntire, Rachel Brosnahan, Karen Gillan, DJ Khaled, and Masi Oka in supporting roles. The plot follows a secret agent who is transformed into a pigeon by an intelligent young scientist; the two must then work together to stop a revenge-seeking cybernetic terrorist, and return the agent to his human form.

<i>Sorry for Your Loss</i> American drama web television series

Sorry for Your Loss is an American drama series created by Kit Steinkellner that premiered on September 18, 2018 on Facebook Watch. The series follows a young widow and her family as they struggle to cope with the unexpected death of her husband and stars Elizabeth Olsen, Kelly Marie Tran, Jovan Adepo, Mamoudou Athie, and Janet McTeer. On December 13, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 1, 2019.

<i>Seberg</i> 2019 film by Benedict Andrews

Seberg is a 2019 political thriller film directed by Benedict Andrews, from a screenplay by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse based on the life of Jean Seberg. It stars Kristen Stewart, Jack O'Connell, Margaret Qualley, Zazie Beetz, Anthony Mackie, and Vince Vaughn.

<i>Uncorked</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Prentice Penny

Uncorked is a 2020 American drama film, written and directed by Prentice Penny. It stars Mamoudou Athie, Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, Matt McGorry, Sasha Compère, Gil Ozeri, Kelly Jenrette, Bernard David Jones, Melisia Lomax and Meera Rohit Kumbhani.

<i>The Matrix Resurrections</i> 2021 film by Lana Wachowski

The Matrix Resurrections is a 2021 American science fiction action film produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and the first in the Matrix franchise to be directed solely by Lana. It is the sequel to The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and the fourth installment in The Matrix film franchise. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film is set sixty years after Revolutions and follows Neo, who lives a seemingly ordinary life as a video game developer having trouble with distinguishing fantasy from reality. A group of rebels, with the help of a programmed version of Morpheus, free Neo from a new version of the Matrix and fight a new enemy that holds Trinity captive.

<i>Cake</i> (2019 TV series) American live-action/adult animated anthology television series

Cake is an American live-action/adult animated anthology television series that premiered on FXX on September 25, 2019. The series features an assortment of short-form comedy.

<i>Archive 81</i> American streaming television series

Archive 81 is an American supernatural horror television series developed by Rebecca Sonnenshine, who was also an executive producer for the show, along with Paul Harris Boardman and James Wan. The series was released on Netflix on January 14, 2022. Between January 9–30, the series was watched for 128.47 million hours globally according to Netflix Top 10s. However, in March 2022, the series was canceled after just one season.

<i>Spencer</i> (film) 2021 film by Pablo Larraín

Spencer is a 2021 historical psychological drama film directed by Pablo Larraín from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film is about Princess Diana's existential crisis during the Christmas of 1991, as she considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. Kristen Stewart and Jack Farthing star as Diana and Charles respectively, Freddie Spry and Jack Neilen as Prince Harry and Prince William, respectively. Also starring Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins.

<i>The Burial</i> (film) 2023 American film by Maggie Betts

The Burial is a 2023 American legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts and Doug Wright. It is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, as documented in the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr. It stars Jamie Foxx as Gary, Tommy Lee Jones as O'Keefe, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Underwater (2020)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 10, 2020). "'1917' Strong With $36M+, But 'Like A Boss' & 'Just Mercy' Fighting Over 4th With $10M; Why Kristen Stewart's 'Underwater' Went Kerplunk With $7M". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Underwater (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Underwater (2020) - William Eubank | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave (February 22, 2017). "Kristen Stewart in Talks to Star in Adventure-Thriller 'Underwater'". Variety . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  6. ↑ Vary, Adam B. (January 17, 2020). "Disney Drops Fox Name, Will Rebrand as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures". Variety .
  7. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (January 7, 2020). "Will '1917' Get Box Office Boost After Golden Globes Wins?". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Scott, Mike (March 17, 2017). "Who's filming in New Orleans? Kristen Stewart, Jim Caviezel and more". The Times-Picayune . Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Busch, Anita (February 22, 2017). "Kristen Stewart In Final Negotiations To Star In Fox Movie 'Underwater'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  10. ↑ McNary, Dave (March 7, 2017). "T.J. Miller, Jessica Henwick Join Kristen Stewart in Thriller 'Underwater'". Variety. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  11. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (May 4, 2017). "Vincent Cassel, 'Get Down' Star Mamoudou Athie Join 'Underwater'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  12. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (April 6, 2017). "John Gallagher Jr. Boards Fox's 'Underwater'; Dwayne Cameron Joins '#211'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. ↑ Wakeman, Gregory (May 22, 2017). "T.J. Miller Compares Underwater To Two Classic James Cameron Films". CinemaBlend. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  14. ↑ Squires, John (January 17, 2020). "[Spoilers] 'Underwater' Director Confirms That You Saw What You Thought You Saw in the Final Act". Bloody Disgusting!.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Shannon (January 17, 2020). "Underwater Movie's Monster Is Cthulhu". Screen Rant . Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 7, 2019). "Disney-Fox Updates Release Schedule: Sets Three Untitled 'Star Wars' Movies, 'New Mutants' Heads To 2020, 'Ad Astra' To Open Fall & More". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Underwater UK Cinema release". Filmoria.co.uk. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 6, 2020). "'1917' Advance Ticket Sales Already Fired Up From Golden Globe Wins As Sam Mendes Pic Sees $25M Opening". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  19. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 19, 2020). "'Bad Boys For Life' So Great With $100M+ Worldwide; 'Dolittle' Still A Dud With $57M+ Global – Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Underwater (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Underwater Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  22. ↑ DeFore, John (January 7, 2020). "'Underwater': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter .
  23. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (January 8, 2020). "'Underwater': Film Review". Variety .
  24. ↑ Pederson, Erik (March 2, 2021). "VES Awards Nominations: 'Tenet', 'Midnight Sky', 'Extraction', 'Soul' & 'Mandalorian' Among Titles In Visual Effects Hunt". Deadline. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.