Into the Blue (2005)
Directed by John Stockwell
Written by Matt Johnson
Starring Jessica Alba, Paul Walker, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott
Release Date September 30th, 2005
Published September 30th, 2005
1977's The Deep was a crowd pleasing beach thriller that evoked enough of the Jaws vibe from one year earlier to become a hit in its own right. With of-the-moment stars Nick Nolte and Jaqueline Bisset, the film captured the temporary zeitgeist of its time. Into The Blue remakes The Deep with an equally hot star, Jessica Alba, but none of the culture-capturing zeitgeist of the original, unless you count the uncomfortable evocations of the Natalee Holloway case.
Leaving out such unintentional issues, Into The Blue is a surprisingly pleasing babes-in-bikinis thriller.
While it's clear that Jessica Alba is the real draw of Into The Blue, the star according to billing and screen time is Paul 'Sleep' Sleepwalker. I like to call Paul that for his amazing ability to sleepwalk through any role given to him, no matter how action-packed. 'Sleep' plays Jared, a part time scuba instructor with ambitions to get into the salvage business. Living in Jamaica with his girlfriend Sam (Alba), Jared searches fruitlessly for buried wrecks that could be worth millions.
Arriving just in time to help Jared and Sam with a particularly big score is Jared's little brother Bryce (Scott Caan) and his girlfriend of about five minutes, Amanda (Ashley Scott). The four set out in a borrowed boat and discover a wreck that may be the remains of a famous ship called the Zephyr that was believed to have sank carrying millions in gold bars. All our crew has to do is set the claim, identify the wreck and the salvage is theirs. If only it were that easy.
Unfortunately, just less than 100 feet away is the wreck of an airplane filled with millions of dollars worth of cocaine. If they call the cops it's guaranteed to cost them their wreck site. The only option is to try to claim the salvage before the cops, or worse, the drug dealers searching for their lost product, find the missing plane.
My description is slightly more straightforward than what is actually in the film. Director John Stockwell and writer Matt Johnston convolute the whole thing with characters making seriously stupid mistakes that are necessary to introduce the thriller aspect of the story. If these characters had a lick of sense we would have a nice looking movie about underwater salvaging. That said, there must be a way to bring the bad guys and the thriller aspects into the film without making the lead characters out to be complete dolts.
Director John Stockwell has a talent for working with women in bikinis, as he showed in 2002's Blue Crush and 2001's Crazy/Beautiful, and he shows that talent again in Into The Blue. Jessica Alba is electric even as she plays the put-upon girlfriend forced to carry 'Sleep''s performance. Much of the focus on her work is on her amazing physical assets, but you cannot deny that she can act as well as fill out a bikini.
'Sleep' does not exactly set the screen on fire with his charisma, but his frat boy charms are a good fit for the goofy plot. Walker and Scott Caan work well together in the way two good buddies on a fishing trip work together. The brotherly connection is unforced and easygoing, but both performances stretch credulity when the plot requires a melodramatic confrontation. Neither actor is likely to get an oscar nomination anytime soon but in this doofus plot they are right at home.
The most impressive thing about Into The Blue may be the gorgeous underwater photography. The cool blue Jamaican waters are inviting even with the large number of sharks swimming by. Peter Zuccharini handled the underwater shooting in Into The Blue and he does some astonishing work. Some of the underwater shots are so pristine, especially the loving underwater closeups of Jessica Alba, that you can forget about the ridiculousness of the plot.
From the standard of a solid action-thriller, Into The Blue is way too happy to be taken seriously. However there is much to enjoy here if you are willing to let a few things slide. Into The Blue delights in its own ridiculousness. From the buried treasure to the cliched drug dealers and the over-the-top heavy performance of Josh Brolin as a rival treasure hunter, the film has a "so bad it's good" vibe.
As I stated before, the film is beautiful to look at, and I'm not just talking about Jessica Alba. I'm talking Jessica Alba in a bikini..... oh and the locations are great too I guess to accompany the phenomenal underwater photography. Another critic, I believe it was James Berardinelli, said if you could turn the sound down and simply observe Into The Blue it would be a far better experience. He's not entirely wrong.
From the looks of his resume one might wonder if director John Stockwell directs simply for the vacation he receives during shooting. Consider his Crazy/Beautiful, shot and set in Malibu, and Blue Crush in Hawaii. Now Stockwell relaxes in Jamaica with Into The Blue and his next picture due in 2006, Turistas, is currently scouting locations in the rainforests of Brazil. Apparently this directing gig is pretty sweet.
So just who is the audience for Into The Blue? Teenage boys, to be sure, and anyone who enjoys watching beautiful people frolic in crystal blue waters thousands of miles away. It's not, however, for movie fans of a more discerning taste. The film is not particularly smart and its rote plot grates on the intellect. If you can turn down the sound in your own mind and shut off your brain for ninety minutes, though, you may just find a kitschy thrill in Into The Blue.
