Underwater(2020) was a decent survival horror that was halfway to becoming a great Lovecraftian film but did not commit to it

I just watched this recently and thought it was a decent, short, and visually pleasing survival horror movie. For the most part it was conventional and borrowed a lot from Alien. Not much to set it apart until the final act SPOILERS AHEAD:

Plot twist, after the big bad monster was defeated, motherfucking Cthulhu rises from the depths and is the real big bad. None of this was revealed in the trailers and was pretty unexpected.

However, Cthulhu, or rather the Cthulhu inspired design (tentacles and all), was added after the fact and was never name dropped. Originally named "Behemoth" in the script, it is clear this film had some sort of an identity crisis. There are hints of a larger story involving the Cthulhu mythos but none of those plot threads are explored beyond a brief moment and no follow-ups, leading to its inclusion feeling tacked on. Examples:

• A scene in which the Captain was implied to have been a part of the original drill team and knew about the existence of the monsters in the trench from a map in his locker. Had this been weaved into the story early on, it would make for a great twist that added depth to his character. Instead it was glossed over.

• A mural in the facility depicting mermaid-like sea creatures pulling men into the water. We see this mural after witnessing the creatures attacking the team, so it's significance to the plot is lost. Jessica Henwick looks at the mural, looks confused, but moves on without a thought.

• Characters going slightly mad in the final act, particularly Jessica Henwick. This is explained with oxygen deprivation but could easily have been switched to Cthulhu's nearby presence affecting their sanity.

The film never really delved into the psychological aspects of finding an eldritch monster at the bottom of the ocean where you are always inches from a crushing death. Norah's quote is the closest we get:

There are things will happen and make you feel powerless, and make you feel insignificant, but that's it. There are just feelings.

But the last bit turns it around:

and sometimes you have to stop feeling, and start doing.

At which point Nora blows Cthulhu to smithereens, far from the incomprehensible, cosmic god of the mythos.

Once the credits roll, we learn through newspaper clippings that the mining company began drilling again after covering up most of the events. If you frame the company as Cthulhu worshippers looking to wake him or find his hidden city, the events make more sense, but again, not explored enough. It's almost as if this was meant to be a 2 part story.

Despite these flaws, I do think it is worth a watch if you like creature features. Or, play Bloodborne if you want a good Lovecraftian twist that is well integrated with the story.

Submitted April 20, 2021 at 01:06AM by a_half_eaten_twinky https://ift.tt/3n2WG7f