Prepare to go deep as 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is out now on Digital 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD and On Demand. The film stars a quartet of young actresses as teenagers who are looking for some thrills while on a trip in Mexico. The decide to dive into a submerged Mayan city and discover they are not alone. The hidden from tourist site is also home for shark feeding.
The flick is the sequel to the 2017 shark thriller 47 Meters Down that starred Mandy Moore and Claire Holt. Needless to say, those two ladies’ days of being around sharks are over. This time out, the fab four must navigate the most claustrophobic of underwater caves, canals and sunken ruins to find their way out—all while their oxygen flow is consistently dwindling.
It helps that the folks that wrote and directed the first film are back for the second. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged was helmed by Johannes Roberts and written by him and Ernest Riera. Therefore, expect continuity when it comes to those underwater scenes. But as supposed to be the case with sequels, the ante is upped as those scenes in the second 47 Meters Down movie are explosively breathtaking. Roberts has outdone himself with his camera work. It’s true what they say about shooting in and around water, it can be a nightmare. This is something that Roberts was born to do … and he enjoys it. He must also enjoy putting young actresses in the closed-on peril one can find because there are so many scenes where we are gasping for air, cannot imagine how long it took to be underwater and get those shots.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged stars Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju and Sistine Rose Stallone as the four ladies put in peril and let’s just say that their underwater acting may be better than their above ground. These four are fierce at being frightened and should have a long career playing the spooked souls. Perhaps the script didn’t give these ladies much to work with on dry land as the emphasis was put on what makes this film work, sharks attacking and tourists being terrified.
There are two bonus features, both will make you appreciate the talent of Roberts even more.
For a second viewing, do not watch the film again without turning on that Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Johannes Roberts, Producer James Harris, and Writer Ernest Riera track. It is like a masterclass in underwater filmmaking that is peppered with insight and filmmaking tricks of the trade that enhances the overall movie experience. What is particular fascinating is hearing the co-writers, Roberts and Riera, when the two wax poetic about what they’ve accomplished. One can tell that these two have a shorthand and we look forward to whatever they’re doing next.
Diving Deeper: Uncaging 47 Meters Down is a pretty decent making-of featurette that features the director doing his thing on the set and also adds insight from the actresses who admit they had a blast making this movie and it shows on every frame. It’s true, if the cast and filmmakers are enjoying themselves, then so too will the audience. Now, this is not a rocket science of a movie. But sometimes we need a film to just thrill us, excite us, entertain us and make us question whether diving is right for us as a hobby.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B