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Into the Blue
2005 - PG-13 - 110 Mins.
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| Director: John Stockwell | | Producer: Peter Guber | | Written By: Matt Johnson | | Starring: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Josh Brolin, Ashley Scott |
| Review by: Harrison Cheung |
| Official Site: www.intothebluemovie.com |
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Ken and Barbie go to the Bahamas
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A handsome couple becomes involved in a dangerous conflict with drug dealers when they discover a way into a deadly Caribbean wreck. Featuring extended underwater sequences and a look into the affairs of treasure hunting.
‘Into the Blue?’ Nope. That’s the plot summary for ‘The Deep’ – a 1977 movie starring then super hot Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte. Of course, the plot summary also works for ‘Into the Blue’ (sounds like it should have been called ‘Into the Deep’) which stars current hotties, Jessica Alba and Paul Walker.
While ‘The Deep’ was based on a novel by ‘Jaws’ author, Peter Benchley, ‘Into the Blue’ is stuck with a stock action/thriller script by Matt Johnson, who’s only other screen writing credit is the forgettable ‘Fast and Furious’ clone, ‘Torque.’
The result is a Club Med commercial with some thrills and underwater gore – think sharks, spearguns, etc… Though never dull, like this new generation of ADD flicks (‘Fast and Furious’ – which also starred Paul Walker), ‘Into the Blue’ is hyperedited without much thought to character development aside from the occasional furrowed brow and declaration of love.
Forget about logic and what this movie does for the Bahamas Tourism industry, this is eye candy, pure and simple. You can watch the buoyant body of Jessica Alba glide through the water, tug at her panties, and give mouth-to-mouth. You’re also treated to lanky Paul Walker diving, with his shorts constantly threatening to come off. His character is apparently is so poor, he doesn’t own a shirt in this movie.
As supporting eye candy, we have Scott Caan (‘Oceans Eleven’), and Alba’s ‘Dark Angel’ alum, Ashley Scott. Josh Brolin also lurks in the cast as Walker’s rich rival.
The story? Walker and Alba play a beachcomber couple, happily living in poverty in the Bahamas, hoping to find sunken treasure. With his old boat and minimal wardrobe, Walker knows he doesn’t have the high tech equipment to do any serious diving. But when they come across a downed drug smuggler’s plane, they suddenly have the means to finance their treasure hunt. Will the drug smugglers come looking for their drugs? Does Jessica Alba wear a bikini?
Maybe it was too costly to remake ‘The Deep,’ but this thinly veiled rip-off would have benefited from some salty dialogue. Of course, escalate the quality of the dialogue and you’d move out of range of these 2D actors, Walker and Alba, who have two emotions between them.
Walker makes a great buddy or partner (‘Joyride’), but he doesn’t have the range to play a full-blooded leading man. Alba, who squeaked through ‘Fantastic Four’ with her skintight outfit, isn’t much better an actress. Between the two suntanned and bleach blonde beauties, ‘Into the Blue’ feels like Ken and Barbie go to the Bahamas.
Ever since ‘Jaws,’ filmmakers have always complained about the complexities and cost of filming on the open seas. ‘Into the Blue’ has some clever action sequences, but what I’ll remember the most from video night, was wondering how the cast managed not to have wrinkled, waterlogged fingers and toes.
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