The “shark movie” genre is a weird one. Ever since Jaws premiered in 1975, moviegoers have been absolutely shark crazy. Steven Spielberg’s classic became the highest-grossing movie of all time upon its release, spawning three sequels of its own and inspiring countless other films about killer sharks. From theatrically released blockbusters like The Shallows to made-for-TV romps like Sharknado, sharks have remained a Hollywood staple for the last 50 years. So then, why are so many shark movies awful?
The two most recent theatrically released shark movies are the 2019 47 Meters Down sequel 47 Meters Down: Uncaged and 2023’s The Meg 2, which is so bad I won’t waste my time talking about it. But 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is a surprisingly enjoyable movie that was a moderate success in theaters, and now, five years later, has since become a popular streaming hit.
In the film, a group of high school girls decide to go cave diving in a recently discovered underwater Mayan city that was carved into a cave system. When sea levels rose, the cavernous city was lost beneath the ocean.
As the girls explore the caves, they realize they’re not alone. At some point in the past, great white sharks swam into the cave system, and over generations have evolved into albino, blind cave sharks. (The concept was inspired by real-life Mexican Tetra fish.) Adapted to their harsh environment, the cave sharks are brutal, aggressive, opportunistic hunters that eat whatever they can find, including a group of young divers.
Listen, this movie is ridiculous and silly. But looking back at it five years later, it’s undeniably fun and entertaining. It’s also arguably the best shark movie to be released in some time, as it’s far more inventive and suspenseful than other modern shark films like Under Paris, Deep Fear, or The Requin.
The film has a great setting
You can be a film snob and complain about how unrealistic the premise is, but you can’t deny that 47 Meters Down: Uncaged has a great setting. Not only are the girls fighting off sharks and worrying about their oxygen levels but they’re doing it while lost in the blackness of a submerged cave system.
The underwater cave setting is perfect for creating a level of suspense and fear that few other modern shark movies have been able to capture. Dark, narrow, murky, and unknown, the caves alone could make a great horror movie. But add in the lurking sharks, and you’ve got a great setup. It took the anxiety of the first 47 Meters Down and threw it into a dark cave system, creating a truly hair-raising environment. Uncaged is basically Jaws meets The Descent, and I have absolutely no complaints about that.
It also helps that Uncaged was filmed almost entirely underwater instead of simulating it on a green screen. When speaking to CinemaBlend, the cast revealed that 80% to 90% of the movie was actually filmed underwater, which helps give Uncaged a great sense of realism and claustrophobia.
The CGI isn’t bad
On top of its great setting, Uncaged also had some pretty decent CGI. Shark movies rarely make enough money to justify a studio paying millions for shark animatronics. Sadly, we’re just gonna have to accept CGI sharks moving forward. But CGI can come in many different forms.
Some recent shark movies had the potential to be kind of good, like Netflix’s Under Paris, but were completely destroyed by their horrible, cheap, fake-looking CGI sharks. And Under Paris isn’t alone in that either. Most recent shark movies have terrible CGI, like Something in the Water, The Black Demon, and countless others.
Uncaged, on the other hand, has some pretty decent CGI for its budget, with most scenes looking pretty damn good. It’s by far one of the best-looking shark movies of the modern era. The film’s setting also helps a lot. The darkness of the cave system keeps most of the sharks’ bodies cloaked in darkness, which helped the film cleverly hide a lot of CGI’s imperfections.
The whole movie feels fresh and new
One of Uncaged’s biggest advantages is its uniqueness. All great shark movies involve a giant shark attacking people, often with a group (or a person) trapped in some scenario where help isn’t available. Uncaged kept the basic formula, but flipped it enough to keep the audience’s attention.
The cave setting and the blind sharks added a new twist to a genre that normally repeats itself over and over again. The sharks have lost their sight, so they can’t see you … even if you’re right in front of them. But they also have an increased sense of hearing and smell, which alerts them to even the slightest disturbance.
The new rules mean new strategies for survival, and with it all happening in the labyrinth of an underwater cave system, Uncaged was able to stand out as unique and exciting. It keeps audiences guessing, wondering where the story might lead and how the new scenario might impact the characters’ decisions.
If you’re able to suspend your disbelief about the wild story and improbable scenario, you’ll discover that 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is actually a ridiculously fun (and just plain ridiculous) shark movie that you’re gonna love.
It was recently announced that a third film, 47 Meters Down: The Wreck, is in the early stages of development and will focus on divers who get trapped in a shark-infested shipwreck. So fans should get ready to bite down on some more sharktastic action. But before then, Uncaged is an absolute must for fans of shark movies or anyone who loves a creepy adventure.
Watch 47 Meters Down: Uncaged on Netflix.
