Into the Blue (C or 2/4 stars)
Smooth, well-toned abdominal muscles star in 'Into the Blue', an action-adventure flick directed by John Stockwell. This film provides 'some' entertainment, but, implausibility & a touch of boredom brings it down. The plot is basic. Jared, Sam, Bryce, & Amanda (Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Steve Caan, Ashley Scott) go snorkeling & find some hidden treasure from a sunken pirate boat named, the Zephyr. Shortly after this, & a hundred feet or so over, they also find a recently sunken airplane with 800 kilos of cocaine in it. It appears as if they've hit the jackpot. Bryce & Amanda are greedy folks and want it all. Jared & Sam are broke-but-happy. They're much more cautious & are basically roped into the idea of attaining both treasures.
And of course, things do not go as smoothly as anticipated. Sea patrol shows up and questions their intents in the Bahamian waters. Jared & Sam speculate if their 'love' is more important than the danger that this daunting task provides. Characters who we think are harmless, become surprise (although not nearly shocking) enemies. And the owner of the 'cocaine on the plane' sails up on his yacht & dictates (with his gun and band of merry villains) how he wants his cocaine retrieved. This leads to a series of action sequences both underwater & on land (car chases, near misses, plans for escape, etc). I will not divulge what happens and what the fate of each character is, but I will say that the 'action' in the film does not juice me up. The story borderlines on dull. And the tension-filled climax does not fix the overall blandness.
The acting here is not brilliant, but that isn't the problem. I actually like how the film is more thought-out than the usual thrown together film with 3,178 special effects thrown in. Each character, especially Jared, has a lot of reflection & purpose for holding back and not going all-out for this treasure; he contemplates a lot. And yet, these contemplations may have also been detrimental; it slows the pace & bored me in the middle 3rd of the film. Paul Walker has a charming onscreen presence. But he can't quite pull off a distinguished, reflective lead role like this. I actually think Scott Caan could have played Jared better because he has more onscreen gusto AND subtleties in his acting. Jessica Alba proves to be more than just a pretty face. But let's face it, she is eye candy & her bodily assets are used to the max in this film.
I give this film a 2 star/C rating because it isn't a complete mess. I really enjoy all of the underwater scenes & I like that 'Into the Blue' does not have to rely on said special effects to achieve a 'wow factor'. However, several instances where you say, 'Agh, that could never have been done!' pop up. This deters me from loving any movie. And as I've said, with all the action/adventure that a film like this provides, it is really quite boring. I didn't find myself engrossed in any character in particular. And the ending of the film had me saying, 'Ok, nice but, so what'. Good try, John Stockwell, but you have to inject more life into your next project.
And of course, things do not go as smoothly as anticipated. Sea patrol shows up and questions their intents in the Bahamian waters. Jared & Sam speculate if their 'love' is more important than the danger that this daunting task provides. Characters who we think are harmless, become surprise (although not nearly shocking) enemies. And the owner of the 'cocaine on the plane' sails up on his yacht & dictates (with his gun and band of merry villains) how he wants his cocaine retrieved. This leads to a series of action sequences both underwater & on land (car chases, near misses, plans for escape, etc). I will not divulge what happens and what the fate of each character is, but I will say that the 'action' in the film does not juice me up. The story borderlines on dull. And the tension-filled climax does not fix the overall blandness.
The acting here is not brilliant, but that isn't the problem. I actually like how the film is more thought-out than the usual thrown together film with 3,178 special effects thrown in. Each character, especially Jared, has a lot of reflection & purpose for holding back and not going all-out for this treasure; he contemplates a lot. And yet, these contemplations may have also been detrimental; it slows the pace & bored me in the middle 3rd of the film. Paul Walker has a charming onscreen presence. But he can't quite pull off a distinguished, reflective lead role like this. I actually think Scott Caan could have played Jared better because he has more onscreen gusto AND subtleties in his acting. Jessica Alba proves to be more than just a pretty face. But let's face it, she is eye candy & her bodily assets are used to the max in this film.
I give this film a 2 star/C rating because it isn't a complete mess. I really enjoy all of the underwater scenes & I like that 'Into the Blue' does not have to rely on said special effects to achieve a 'wow factor'. However, several instances where you say, 'Agh, that could never have been done!' pop up. This deters me from loving any movie. And as I've said, with all the action/adventure that a film like this provides, it is really quite boring. I didn't find myself engrossed in any character in particular. And the ending of the film had me saying, 'Ok, nice but, so what'. Good try, John Stockwell, but you have to inject more life into your next project.