UNDERWATER

BY: Amanda Jane Stern

In Underwater, when an earthquake destroys a hidden laboratory, the researchers must find safety by venturing outside the lab and onto the ocean floor. They soon learn that the ocean is not the only thing they have to fear, but a group of hungry sea creatures as well. 

20th Century Fox hasn’t released other plot details, but the trailer offers some clues. In it, we learn that these researchers are 7 miles beneath the ocean’s surface, in an oil rig. They are digging for an unknown, but we learn the creatures were likely disturbed by the excavation. The trailer doesn’t show the beasts, so we have to imagine how they look. The preview also highlights the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film.

Kristen Stewart continues her great 2019, with a strong start to the new year and stars in the project. It’s been drawing comparisons to the Ridley Scott classic Alien. Stewart plays Norah, a mechanical engineer who joins the crew on their month-long mission. When things go wrong, she leads the group to safety. Viewers of the trailer are comparing her character to Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in Alien. The comparison is that of another stoic, short-haired woman hunted by a creature.

Underwater was directed by William Eubank from a script co-written by Brian Duffield and Adam Cozad. Joining Stewart are Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie and the controversial T.J. Miller.

See Underwater, in theaters, starting on January 10, 2020.